New Year Battery Clear-Out Call As Only Half Return For Safe Recycling
January 15, 2026
Only half of household batteries sold on the Irish market are making their way back for recycling each year, new data shows.
As households replace old devices with new Christmas gifts received, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland is urging people to recycle used batteries and unwanted small electrical items, rather than storing them away or binning them.
Its figures show that almost half of all household battery purchases are made during the Christmas shopping period, yet recycling rates remain stubbornly low.
To support a nationwide New Year clear-out, the e-waste recycling scheme plans to deliver 1 million blue battery recycling boxes to homes nationwide during January in a bid to capture a valuable hoard of waste batteries. They can be returned for free at participating retailers or local recycling centres.
“Every home in Ireland can make a difference. Batteries don’t belong in the bin – they belong in recycling. When we dispose of them incorrectly, we risk fires and environmental pollution,” said TD Alan Dillon, Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment & Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
“This January, WEEE Ireland is delivering one million battery boxes to households. Let’s use them. Collect every old battery from toys, decorations, and devices, and return them to your local retailer or recycling centre. It’s free, safe, and it protects our environment. Together, we can keep dangerous chemicals out of landfill and rare materials in circulation. Let’s make 2026 about responsibility and care for each other.”
Leo Donovan, CEO of WEEE Ireland said, “As decorations have been stored away for another year and space is made for new gifts, now is the ideal time to carry out a battery and e-waste clear-out. As well as providing a handy QR code that connects you to a map of hundreds of local drop off points, our blue battery boxes are a simple but powerful reminder that batteries should never go in household bins. Returning for recycling ensures the safe recovery and reuse of the materials they contain.”
When it comes to small electronic items, 2024 figures from WEEE Ireland show a similar trend, with 40 per cent of Ireland’s annual small electronic gift and toy purchases happening in the festive period. But just 30 per cent of these are returned to the circular economy for recycling.
Recycling rates for electronic toys such as gaming consoles, e-scooters and battery-operated action figures are even lower, dropping to just 10 per cent, leaving millions of unused, broken or obsolete toys lying around in homes or discarded incorrectly in the household bin.