Free e-waste collection days to take place in three Tipperary towns

WEEE Ireland and Aldi are hosting free e-waste collection days in Nenagh, Thurles and Roscrea.

The event, kicks off on Tuesday, April 9, at Aldi Nenagh, Springfort Retail Park, Nenagh, from 10am-4pm.

On Thursday, April 11, a collection will take place at Aldi Thurles, Kickham Street, Thurles, from 10am-4pm.

Finally, a collection will take place in ALDI Roscrea, Green Street, Townspark, Roscrea, Thursday, April 18, from 10am-4pm.

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.

North Tipperary householders are being urged to bring their batteries, electrical, and electronic waste to a set of free collection days to help the county meet national e-waste recycling targets for 2024.

WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan said they are delighted to partner with Aldi on the initiative.

“People in Tipperary have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, with 1,488 tonnes of electrical waste collected in the county in 2022, and we want to encourage that trend.”

“In Tipperary, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with people purchasing an average 25kg per head in 2023 compared to 16kgs Aldi five years ago,” said Mr Donovan.

He continued:

“Shopping stats show a surge in spend on new electrical devices like mobile phones, computers, small kitchen appliances and white goods.

“With many old, broken and unused items still lying around many households, we want to offer the opportunity to recycle these for free. 8.8kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Tipperary last year – falling short of the national average of 10.33kg per person," said Mr Donovan.

WEEE 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.

“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, said Mr Donovan.

CAPTIONS:WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan, Ethan Holmes (Age 10), Sienna Lavery (Age 10), and Freya Lavery (Age 6). North Tipperary householders are being urged to bring their batteries, electrical, and electronic waste to a set of free collection days, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with ALDI. Picture by Shane O'Neill, Coalesce.