Free e-waste collections in Clara and Banagher this weekend
Offaly householders are being urged to bring their batteries, electrical, and electronic waste to free collections points in both Clara and Banager this Saturday, January 27.
The free collections, which are being hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Offaly County Council, take place from 10am to 4pm at both the Clara GAA Club on the Kilbeggan Road and the West End Car Park in Banagher.
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.
8.5kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Offaly last year, falling short of the national average of 10.33kg per person, so everyone across the county is urged to avail of this weekend's opportunity to recycle as much e-waste as possible.
"Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” said Caroline Clancy at Offaly County Council, who are partnering with WEEE Ireland in the free e-waste collection initiative this weekend.
“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 2024.”
“In Offaly, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with people purchasing an average 25kg per head in 2023 compared to 16kgs just five years ago,” 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.
“People in Offaly have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, with 707 tonnes of electrical waste collected in the county in 2022, and we want to encourage that trend.”
WEEE Ireland warns that the nation needs to meet a forthcoming EU target to recycle at least 15% of our annual consumption of critical raw materials from e-waste.
“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 2022, the equivalent of 216,157 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 4,323 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.