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Nick Rabbitts, 10 May
LIMERICK householders are being urged to bring their batteries,
electrical, and electronic waste for recycling on free collection days
to help the county meet national e-waste recycling targets for 2024.
The events, hosted by Weee Ireland, kick off on Saturday, May 11 from
10am-4pm at Castletroy College, Newtown, Castletroy, and on Tuesday,
May 14 from 10am-4pm at GVM Mart, Coolaboy, Dromcollogher.
There will also be collections on May 16 from 10am-4pm at GVM Mart,
Knockbrack, Abbeyfeale, and on Saturday, May 18 from 10am-4pm at Tesco
Coonagh Superstore, Coonagh Cross, Ennis Road, Limerick.
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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.
“In Limerick, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods
than ever – with people purchasing an average 25kg per head in 2022
compared to 16kgs just five years ago,” said WEEE Ireland chief
executive 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 Limerick have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every
year, with 2,268 tonnes of electrical waste collected in the county in
2022, and we want to encourage that trend.”
10.82kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Limerick last year –
ahead of the national average of 10.33kg per person.
Wee 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.
"Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment
and the economy,” said Mr Donovan.
"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 Limerick householders to hopefully
recycle a record-breaking amount of electronic waste in 2024.”