Recycle all your unwanted electrical waste for free at collection day in Wexford Racecourse

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Bring your electrical and electronic waste to the Racecourse on Saturday, February 4.

Wexford householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to a free collection day to help the county meet national e-waste recycling targets for 2023.

The event, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Wexford County Council, takes place on Saturday February 4 at Wexford Racecourse, Bettyville, Newtown Road from 10am-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.

"In Wexford, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with the annual tonnage on the market rising significantly from 15kg a head in 2016 to 23kg a head in 2022," 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.

"With old items still lying around many households we want to offer the opportunity to recycle these for free.

"People in Wexford have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, and we want to encourage that trend."

A surge in lockdown spring cleaning saw 1,775 tonnes of electrical waste collected in Wexford by the country's largest recycling scheme in 2021, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions still in place for much of the year.

An estimted 11.8kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Wexford in 2021 – falling short of the 2020 collection rate of 12.6kg, but exceeding the national average of 10.86kg per person.

However, the county's e-waste target for 2023 has increased to 14kg per person, to reflect yearly increases in electrical goods consumption, accelerated by Covid-19.

"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 2021, the equivalent of 231,179 tonnes of CO2 emissions was avoided by recycling e-waste through the WEEE Ireland Scheme as opposed to landfilling. That is the equivalent of the annual carbon consumption of 4,624 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.

These free events areheld in partnership with Wexford County Council.

"Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy," said Cliona Connolly, Environmental Awareness Officer with the 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 Wexford householders to hopefully recycle a record-breaking amount of electronic waste in 2023."

County Wexford man Joaquín Gaffney is making his professional debut as a director this week with a short horror film which is being shot at Wells House and locations in Enniscorthy town including St Aidan's Cathedral.