Free Electrical Recycling Days Across Co.Kildare

Taking place in Celbridge, Maynooth and Naas.

Kildare households are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to a set of free collection days to help the county meet recycling targets which have increased since the pandemic.

The events, hosted by WEEE Ireland with support from Kildare County Council are as follows;

• 25th June, Saturday, at the Tesco carpark, Celbridge from 10am-4pm.
• 2nd July, Saturday, Tesco carpark, Maynooth from 10am-4pm.
• 9th July, Saturday, Naas Racecourse from 10am-4pm.

Kildare County Council has said 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 Kildare, 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,” 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.

“94% 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," concluded Mr Donovan.

“These stock of resources are the urban mines of the future, so our recycling efforts can have a significant impact on the environment.”

“Recycling e-Waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” said Dara Wyer, Environmental Awareness Officer for Kildare County Council.

“Together, we are diverting waste from landfill, recovering raw materials for reuse and ensuring hazardous materials are safely and responsibly disposed of," he added.

♻️ Kildare households urged to avail of free e-waste recycling events

For more details ▶️ https://t.co/Onps0t3ICD pic.twitter.com/Io0NvcaLy2

— Kildare County Council (@KildareCoCo) June 22, 2022

A surge in lockdown spring cleaning saw 1248 tonnes of electrical waste collected in Kildare by the country’s largest recycling scheme in 2021, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions still in place for much of the year.

Some 5.61kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Kildare last year – falling short of the 2020 collection rate of 5.71 and the national average of 10.86 per person.

However, the county’s e-waste target for 2022 has increased to 13kg per person, to reflect yearly increases in electrical goods consumption, accelerated by Covid-19.

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 1,296 producer members.

These free events are supported by Kildare County Council.