Offaly householders urged to avail of free e-waste recycling events
Offaly householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to a set of free collection days to help the county meet national e-waste recycling targets for 2023.
Offaly householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to free collection days, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Offaly County Council, which kick off on Saturday January 28 at both the West End carpark, Banagher, from 10am-4pm, and the Clara GAA Club on the Kilbeggan Road from 10am-4pm. Picture Conor McCabe Photography.
The events, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Offaly County Council, kick off on Saturday January 28 at both the West End Carpark, Banagher, from 10am-4pm, and the Clara GAA Club on the Kilbeggan Road from 10am-4pm.
All household items with a plug or a battery will be accepted free of charge, including old washing machines, TVs, toasters and kettles, electronic tools and toys, cables, IT equipment, mobile phones, remote controls, and even watches.
“In Offaly, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with the annual tonnage on the market rising significantly from 15kg a head in 2016 to 23kg a head in 2022,” said WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan.
“Shopping stats during the pandemic showed a surge in spend on new electrical devices like mobile phones, computers, small kitchen appliances and white goods.
“With old items still lying around many households we want to offer the opportunity to recycle these for free.
“People in Offaly have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, and we want to encourage that trend.”
A surge in lockdown spring cleaning saw 753 tonnes of electrical waste collected in Offaly by the country’s largest recycling scheme in 2021, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions still in place for much of the year.
9.6kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Offaly last year – falling short of the 2020 collection rate of 10.85kg and the national average of 10.86kg per person.
However, the county’s e-waste target for 2023 has increased to 14kg per person, to reflect yearly increases in electrical goods consumption, accelerated by Covid-19.
“82% of all material that we collect is recovered for use again in manufacturing through both indigenous operators and specialist processors in Europe,” said Mr. Donovan.
“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 2021, the equivalent of 231,179 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 4,624 hectares of trees
WEEE Ireland accounts for over two thirds of all national waste electrical and electronics collection activity on behalf of 1,300 producer members.
These free events are in partnership with Offaly County Council.
“Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” said Caroline Clancy, Environmental Awareness Officer at Offaly County Council.
“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 WEEE Ireland and Offaly householders to hopefully recycle a record-breaking amount of electronic waste in 2023.”
