Free e-waste and battery recycling events in Mayo

Mayo 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 2025.

The events, hosted by WEEE Ireland in partnership with Mayo County Council, kick off on Saturday (February 22) at the Mayo County Council car park in Cong from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Next Tuesday, February 25, a collection will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Boat Park, Roman Island, Westport Quay, and on Thursday, February 27, there will be a collection beside Dey’s Shop, Main Street, Ballyvary, also from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Collections continue on Saturday, March 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in two locations: Keel Sandybanks Caravan & Camping Park, Keel Beach, Achill, and Swinford Golf Club, Deerpark, Swinford.

On Tuesday, March 4, a collection will take place at Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club, O'Hara Park, Charlestown, also from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with another collection at nearby Kiltimagh GAA Club between the same hours on Thursday, March 6.

Collections will be ongoing throughout March at locations throughout the county.

Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled for free at the collections, 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.

“Across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever, with people purchasing an average 23kg per head in 2024 compared to the pre-Covid average of 16kgs in 2019,” said WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan.

“Shopping stats show 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.”

In 2023, 10.07kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Mayo, falling just short of the national average of 10.33kg per person that same year.

WEEE Ireland warns that the nation needs to meet new forthcoming EU targets to recycle at least 25% of our annual consumption of critical raw materials from e-waste.

“An average of 80% of all e-waste 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 2023, the equivalent of 222,852 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 4,457 hectares of trees.

WEEE Ireland accounts for over two-thirds of all national waste electrical and electronics collection activity on behalf of 1,355 producer members.

“Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” said Mr. Donovan.

“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 Mayo householders to hopefully recycle a record-breaking amount of electronic waste in 2025.”