‘Recycling is my passion, not just my work’

At the latest International Electronics Recycling Congress, Kurt Kyck of KMK Metals in Ireland has received the IERC Honorary Award, which is presented each year to inspirational figures and leaders from the electronics recycling sector.

‘Kurt has won this award for his life’s work in recycling. What’s more, he is a leader and a straight talker,’ commented Jean Cox-Kearns, chairman of the IERC steering committee.

‘Guys like me collecting stuff’

‘It’s brilliant to be recognised like this,’ said Kyck as he received the award. ‘WEEE recycling is my passion, it’s not just my work. It’s extremely necessary that the resources in the products we are consuming every day are recovered and, most definitely, potentially recovered in Europe. We’ve got excellent smelters, plastics recyclers and guys like me who go out and collect stuff in all kinds of adverse challenges. And yet, we still do it and we bring about the aspirations of the law makers in Brussels.’

Kurt Kyck has had a long career in recycling. After working as a metal trader in Germany 1960 and 70s, he moved to Ireland where he established KMK Metals. Over the past 45 years the company has undergone huge expansion and now operates two modern facilities.

Lion’s share for KMK

KMK Metals collects 80% of Ireland’s e-scrap and is a national sorting centre for waste consumer and ELV batteries. The company employs 150 staff across its operations managing more than 43 000 tonnes per year serving 2 500 sites across the country.

Kyck has been president of the European Electronics Recyclers Association (EERA) since 2019.