South Mayo householders urged to avail of free e

South Mayo householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to a set of free collection days to help the county meet national e-waste recycling targets for 2023.

The events, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Mayo County Council, take place on Saturday, February 18, at the Mayo County Council car park in Cong from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, March 25, at the Station Road car park in Claremorris, again from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Collection events will take place across the county over the coming weeks, including a collection in Castlebar on Saturday, March 18, at the Pavilion Road car park, also from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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

A surge in lockdown spring cleaning saw 1,400 tonnes of electrical waste collected in Mayo by the country's largest recycling scheme in 2021, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions still in place for much of the year.

Last year, 10.73kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Mayo – falling short of the 2020 collection rate of 11.03kg and 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.

Added Mr. Donovan: "Eighty-two per cent of all material that we collect is recovered for use again in manufacturing through both indigenous operators and specialist processors in Europe. 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 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 4,624 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 are in partnership with Mayo County Council. "Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy," said Sharon Cameron, environment awareness officer with Mayo County 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 Mayo householders to hopefully recycle a record-breaking amount of electronic waste in 2023."