4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Free e-waste collection day in Wicklow scheduled for August
The event, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Wicklow County Council and Blessington Allotments, takes place on Saturday, August 23 from 10am-4pm in McGreals Primary Care Centre in Blessington.
Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled for free on the day, including old washing machines, TVs, toasters and kettles, electronic tools and toys, cables, IT equipment, mobile phones, remote controls, batteries, including farm fence batteries, and even watches. The event will also help the county meet national e-waste recycling targets for 2025.
Some 7.2kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Wicklow last year – less than the WEEE Ireland collection area average of 9.5kg per person that same year.
WEEE Ireland warns that the nation needs to meet new forthcoming EU targets to recycle at least 25pc of our annual consumption of critical raw materials from e-waste.
'In Wicklow, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with people purchasing an average 25kg per head in 2024 compared to 16kgs just six years ago,' said WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan.
'With old items still lying around many households we want to offer the opportunity to recycle these for free. People in Wicklow have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, with 1,162 tonnes of electrical waste collected in the county in 2024, and we want to encourage that trend.
'An average of 96pc of all e-waste that we collect is recovered for use again in manufacturing through both indigenous operators and specialist processors in Europe.
'Most end-of-life products contain metals and minerals in higher concentrations than primary resources. These stocks of resources are the urban mines of the future, so our recycling efforts can have a significant impact on the environment.'
In 2024, the equivalent of 206,521 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided by recycling e-waste through the WEEE Ireland Scheme as opposed to landfilling. That is the equivalent of the annual carbon consumption of 4,130 hectares of trees.
WEEE Ireland accounts for over two thirds of all national waste electrical and electronics collection activity on behalf of 1,355 producer members.
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In July, WEE Ireland in collaboration with the Blessington Allotments Campaign and Blessington Tourist Office, launched an e-waste initiative providing 200 free battery recycling boxes.
'Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,' said Mr. Donovan.
'Together, we are diverting waste from landfill, recovering raw materials for reuse and ensuring hazardous materials are safely and responsibly disposed of. We look forward to working with Wicklow householders to hopefully recycle a record-breaking amount of electronic waste in 2025.'
