Westmeath householders urged to avail of free e-waste and battery recycling event

Westmeath householders are being urged to bring their batteries, electrical, and electronic waste to a free collection day to help the county meet national e-waste recycling targets for 2023.

The event, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Lidl, takes place on Thursday, July 27 at the Lidl car park, Old Dublin Road, Clongawny, Mullingar, 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, batteries, including farm fence batteries, and even watches.

“In Westmeath, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with people purchasing an average 25kg per head in 2022 compared to 22kg in 2021,” said WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan.

“Shopping stats show 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.

9.47kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Westmeath last year – falling short of the national average of 10.03kg per person.

“People in Westmeath have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, with 907 tonnes of electrical waste collected in the county in 2022, and we want to encourage that trend.” said Leo.

These free events which are beneficial for both the environment and the economy are in partnership with Lidl.