The Problem

Ireland has a waste problem. We generate 3.1 million tonnes of municipal waste (the waste from homes and businesses) per year (EPA, n.d.), or roughly 590 kilograms per person¹. This rate has remained largely unchanged since 2016², and at the same time, there has been no meaningful improvement in the recycling rate³. Over 97% of the materials used in the economy come from virgin sources (Circle Economy, 2024). This consumption is reflected in emissions: in 2022, Ireland had the second-highest carbon emissions per capita in the EU, and was more than 50% higher than the EU average (CSO, 2024).

Textiles are one part of this issue. Ireland generates about 170,000 tonnes of used textiles per year (EPA, 2021). Roughly two-thirds end up in general waste, which destines it for incineration or landfill (EPA, 2021). The remaining third is collected through clothes banks, collections and charity shops, where items may be resold or recycled (EPA, 2021). The collection rate of textiles needs to be increased to boost this reuse and recycling.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) shows a similar pattern. In 2023, Ireland collected 44% of WEEE placed on the market; well below the EU target of 65% (EPA, n.d.). In fact, this is down from previous years; it was 51% in 2022 and 64% in 2021 (EPA, n.d.). Despite this, Ireland performs strongly once WEEE is collected, exceeding EU benchmarks for recovery, recycling and reuse (EPA, n.d.). The main challenge is therefore expanding the collection, particularly from consumers.

Sharing offers a practical mechanism to reduce the amount of waste generated and materials used, whilst maintaining access to products and services. For example, a typical household drill is used for only 13 minutes over its lifetime (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2021), yet most of us have one at home. But what if you and your neighbours shared one drill instead? Sharing tools or other products within communities can significantly cut demand for new items, share costs, and encourage the purchasing of longer-lasting, better-quality products (Demailly & Novel, 2014).

In the UK, Libraries of Things scale this idea through digital platforms to manage shared items. Members can easily check availability, book items, and collect them from local hubs (Library of Things, 2024). These systems simplify borrowing, build community trust and make low-impact choices more accessible and affordable (Library of Things, 2024).

The Circular Solution

Reloop is an online platform that works with residential communities to collect old clothes and e-waste, while also offering a library-of-things service for residents.

Through the platform, residents can borrow a wide range of products, from VR headsets to steam cleaners to tables and chairs. Items are requested online, delivered the next working day, used for two days, and then collected for the next user. The service itself is free; residents pay only an €8 delivery and collection fee. This saves residents’ money by removing the need to buy these items while saving materials and emissions.

Reloop also partners with charities to ensure that collected textiles are resold to support their work. E-waste is collected by social enterprises that specialise in recycling electrical and electronic equipment. These partnerships help give materials a second life and support wider social and environmental goals.

For property managers, Reloop offers a low-effort way to improve residents’ experience. Running a library of things or managing textile and e-waste collections independently would be an administrative burden and would require significant investment. Reloop handles logistics, coordination and reporting through its online booking and data-tracking system, reducing workload while enhancing the services available to residents.

Climate Impact

Library of Things services cut manufacturing demand and resource extraction by enabling shared access to products. Reloop now works with 23 residential communities across Dublin to provide this service.

A useful comparison comes from Library of Things Ltd in London, which operates 22 locations. To date, they have enabled their members to borrow 75,000 items, saving them over £10 million, while at the same time reusing 525 tonnes of electricals and saving 1,500 tonnes of carbon emissions (Library of Things, 2025). This illustrates the potential environmental value of shared-use systems like Reloop’s.

Reloop’s textile collection helps to divert these from general waste streams. Reused clothing has 70 times lower emissions than new, even when global transport is included (Norion Consult, 2023). Producing a new cotton shirt requires more than 30,000 litres of water, while a reused one only needs  0.3 litres (Norion Consult, 2023). Increasing textile recovery, therefore, delivers substantial savings.

E-waste collection offers similar benefits by recovering valuable materials. From the 5.7 million tonnes of e-waste collected in Europe, around 400,000 tonnes of critical raw materials were recovered, including copper, aluminium, silicon, tungsten and palladium (Iattoni et al., 2025). Recycled metals are 2 to 10 times more energy efficient than virgin metals (PACE, 2019). According to the 2050 Critical Raw Materials Outlook for WEEE report, “improving separate collection systems is essential to reduce the volume of critical raw materials lost before they even reach treatment facilities” (Iattoni et al., 2025), and this objective is in line with Reloop’s mission.

Replicability

• Tulu is a smart in-building platform that lets residents access shared appliances, tools and services on demand, reducing the need for individual ownership.

  
  

• Clothes POD provides clothing banks at 1,200 locations nationwide to offer convenient local drop off for waste textiles for resale or recycling.

  
  

• University College Dublin’s library offers a library of things for its students, enabling access to shared equipment.

  
  

• Westmeath libraries offer a library of things for musical instruments, toys, children’s fancy dress costumes, and much more.

  
  

• WEEE Ireland is a CIRCULÉIRE member that offers on-demand collection of e-waste for businesses, schools, colleges, health facilities and more.

  
  

Footnotes

1. Based on waste statistics for 2023. Ireland’s population in April 2023 was 5.281 million people (CSO, 2023).

2. For 2016, total municipal waste generated =2.763 million tonnes (EPA, n.d.) and Ireland population = 4.762 million people (CSO, 2017). This gives a per capita rate of 580 kg per person, representing a 1.7% increase between 2016 and 2023.

3. The recycling rate in 2016 was 41%, in 2023 it was 42% (EPA, n.d.). The EU target for 2023 was 50% (EPA, n.d.).