Recycling electrical goods could be worth €40 million per annum to the waste industry every year.
An EU directive demanding the safe disposal of appliances comes into force in Ireland tomorrow.
Recycling firm Greenstar said the scheme could add millions to the value of the sector. Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Weee) programme, which comes into play at midnight, retailers and manufacturers must take in old goods when new equipment is sold.
Dermott Jewell, Consumers' Association
Householders will further benefit by being able to take electrical items to civic amenity sites where councils will dispose of them for free.
Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said the system would create a brand new cradle-to-grave recycling regime. But there are fears consumers could be lumbered with added costs if retailers attempt to put additional charges on to new products for the eco-friendly disposal of old machines.
Shops have threatened to place recycling charges on goods they sell. On large household goods such as refrigerators, consumers could pay up to €40 per item, €20 for large televisions, €5 for vacuum cleaners and €1 for small items like radio alarm clocks.
Old goods can then be disposed of at stores and recycling centres.
Consumer groups have hit out at the planned fee. Dermott Jewell, Consumers Association chief executive, called for a boycott of shops that attempted to pass the fee on to the buyer.
"Some retailers may pass on the recycling costs to consumers and others may not. It is up to the buyer to vote with their feet and not get hit in the pocket," he said.
According to Greenstar, 16,000 tonnes of Weee produced each year in Ireland will increase the value of the €1.4 billion waste sector by €40 million through collection, segregation, treatment and safe disposal.
It is estimated that 1.6 billion tonnes of electronic waste is generated across the EU every year, making up 4 per cent of waste.
PA