Recycling of electrical goods this Saturday – with no charge!

Recycling of electrical goods this Saturday – with no charge!

THERE has been an increase in electrical goods consumption, and e-waste targets for 2022 have increased to reflect it – with a free collection day scheduled to take place on Saturday.

With an aim of meeting recycling targets, which have risen since the first Covid-related lockdown in 2020, the recycling event will take place at Power City in Fonthill Retail Park from 10am to 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.

WEEE Ireland (Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is a not-for-profit organisation established by producers of electrical and electronical appliances to comply with legal obligations.

Over two-thirds of all activity relating to electronic waste collection is accounted for by WEEE Ireland on behalf of 1,296 producer members.

Last year 11.36kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Dublin, exceeding the 2020 collection rate and the national average of 10.86kg per person.

However, purchase rates for electronic goods are increasing year on year.

“In Dublin, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with the annual tonnage on the market rising from 15kg a head in 2016 to 22kg a head last year,” Leo Donovan, CEO of WEEE Ireland said.

“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.”

With the increase in electrical goods consumption, which was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the country’s e-waste target for 2022 has increased to 13kg per person.

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.

To put that into perspective, this is the equivalent of the annual consumption of 4,624 hectares of trees.

WEEE Ireland are hosting the free collection day with the support of Power City, which takes place on October 1 from 10am to 4pm at Power City, Fonthill Retail Park in Clondalkin.

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