Time to recycle the old electronics lying around your home
Grace O’Sullivan
Households in Cork are being urged to bring their old items that have a plug or battery and recycle them to help the county meet the national ewaste recycling targets for 2023.
WEEE Ireland is hosting free electronic waste collections on 14 October in Mallow and 21 October in Charleville.
The collection in Mallow will run from 10am until 4pm at the GAA sports complex, St Joesphs Road, Parkadallane and the collection in Charleville from 10am until 4pm at St Josephs Foundation, Bakers Road.
WEEE Ireland CEO, Lee Donovan said: “In Cork 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.”
“With old items still lying around many households we want to offer the opportunity to recycle these for free.”
In 2022 9.21kg of ewaste was recycled per person in Cork. This was short of the national average of 10.03kg per person.
Items such as old washing machines, TVs, toasters, kettles, electronic tools and toys, cables, mobile phones, remote controls, batteries and even watches will be accepted free of charge.
In 2022, the equivalent of 216,157 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided by recycling ewaste 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 alongside Cork County Council is hosting these events with the aim of people recycling their old electronic items for free.
“Recycling ewaste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” said Don O'Sullivan, Senior Executive Engineer at Cork County Council.
“Together, we are diverting waste from landfill, recovering raw materials for reuse, and ensuring hazardous materials are safely and responsibly disposed of.”
WEEE Ireland (Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is a not-for-profit organisation. They manage the collection of household ewaste, lighting and solar PV equipment and batteries from authorised collection points for recycling.
The organisation aims to provide cost effective quality compliance for producers to meet the requirements of the regulations whilst minimising the cost to the consumer.
WEEE Ireland supports indigenous recycling facilities with WEEELABEX (European quality recycling standards) certified recycling partnerships.