Brought to you by WEEE Ireland

If you're not already recycling these items, you really should be...

These days, we're all trying to do our bit to help the environment and tackle climate change, and it's safe to say that recycling is one of the most useful tools at our disposal. But it turns out a lot of us are making one huge mistake by not recycling these important items... WEEE Ireland are asking all of us to help tackle the current e-waste challenge Ireland is facing. They've launched the Follow Your Lead campaign to encourage us all to search for any forgotten e-waste we've got lying around at home and drop them off at your nearest WEEE Ireland recycling point. If you're not already aware, e-waste or electrical waste is anything with a battery, cable or plug. So, all of those clapped-out household appliances, spent batteries and lightbulbs, defunct tech and broken mobile phones you've got hidden away in drawers or cupboards? All of those can and should be recycled. A nation of hoarders, we tend to keep these items hidden away at home, instead of taking them to be recycled. Recent WEEE Ireland data suggests that the average family home in Ireland contains an average of 15 to 20 electrical items which have reached the end of their useful life, with new EU data indicating that each person is responsible for an average of 4kg to 5kg of hoarded electrical waste. “When you add it up, 5kg equates to a kettle, a laptop that won’t power up, a smartphone beyond repair, an unplayable small gaming device and that kitchen blender in the back of the cupboard that hasn’t worked for years,” said WEEE Ireland CEO, Leo Donovan. Yikes... [caption id="attachment_747502" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Lee O'Donovan, WEEE Ireland CEO[/caption] And that really is a waste, because all of these items are made from valuable raw materials that can be used again. Anything with a plug, battery or circuit board has multiple resources that can be recovered if recycled properly, which helps reduce waste in the long run and protect the environment. So, how can you recycle all of these items correctly? Simply gather up any e-waste you have lying around your home. Old washing machines, TVs, toasters and kettles, electronic tools and toys, cables, IT equipment, mobile phones, remote controls, and even watches - all of these items contain a large variety of materials that can be used again to make new products. Then, find your local (and FREE!) WEEE recycling point HERE and drop these items off to be recycled. It really is that easy! Recycling these items helps create a circular economy, something which is crucial as we continue to tackle climate change. So, by dropping these items off at your nearest recycling point, you're doing your bit for the environment by ensuring the valuable components in these items can be recovered for use again in manufacturing. WEEE Ireland is urging people to help tackle the e-waste challenge by finding the forgotten about waste electricals, batteries and bulbs around their home. And bringing them to your nearest local authority recycling centre or participating electrical retailer for free recycling. A list of hundreds of drop-off points around the country can be found HERE. Brought to you by WEEE Ireland