Free e-waste recycling events this weekend
Westmeath householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to two free collection day events to help the county meet recycling targets which have increased since the first lockdown in 2020.
The events, hosted by WEEE Ireland and supported by Westmeath County Council, are on Saturday February 26 from 10am to 4pm at the Mullingar Council Offices car park and at and the Athlone Town FC Car Park.
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 Westmeath, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever and the annual tonnage on the market has risen from 15kg a head in 2016 to 21kg a head last year,” 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.
“As old items are still lying around many households, we want to offer the opportunity to recycle them for free.
“People in Westmeath have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, and we want to encourage that trend.”
A surge in lockdown spring cleaning led to 993 tonnes of electrical waste being collected in Westmeath by the country’s largest recycling scheme in 2020, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions.
Just over 11kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Westmeath last year – exceeding both the 2019 collection rate of 9.9kg, and the 2020 national average of 10.9kg per person.
However, the county’s e-waste target for 2022 has increased to 14kg per person, to reflect yearly increases in electrical goods consumption, accelerated by Covid-19.
“Eighty four per cent 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. That stock of resources are the urban mines of the future, so our recycling efforts can have a significant impact on the environment.”
In 2020, the equivalent of 225,182 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided by recycling e-waste through the WEEE Ireland Scheme as opposed to using landfill. That is the equivalent of the annual carbon consumption of 4,504 hectares of trees.
WEEE Ireland accounts for more than two thirds of all national waste electrical and electronics collection activity on behalf of 1,189 producer members.
“Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” said John Jackson, environmental awareness officer at Westmeath 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 Westmeath householders to hopefully recycle a record-breaking amount of electronic waste in 2022.”