New rules for recycling electrical goods mark a seismic shift in how waste is controlled, Ireland‘‘s Environment Minister Dick Roche declared recently, according to Ireland Online.

Dick Roche said that enforcing European Union laws on dumping electronic goods would be a priority of his office in the coming years. He warned that firms which flouted the directive could face fines of up to ?15m or 10 years behind bars.

Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive, due to begin on August 13 next year, 80% of all electrical waste must be reclaimed and 75% must be recycled. The Minister told an IBEC Conference on waste management the plan would force producers to take responsibility for recycling. An estimated 1.6 billion tonnes of electronic waste is generated in the EU per annum making up some 4% of municipal waste