Electrical Recycling Eye Opener!

Recycled electrical waste increased by 10% in 2020?

WEEE Ireland reported that the amount of electrical waste recycled at local authority recycling centres rose by 10% last year. This is the equivalent of about half a million small household appliances like kettles, toasters, blenders, batteries, cables, rice makers, sandwich toasters and more!

WEEE Ireland say this increase demonstrates how behavior and attitude of Irish people towards recycling e-waste is improving. (WEEE = Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment).

What’s changed?

In 2021 something changed. There was a spike in the number of electrical items dumped in general waste bins which resulted in a 7% decrease in electrical recycling compared with January 2021. This maybe the result of COVID 19 travel restrictions imposed in January 2021 or something else?

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Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland, said: “Unfortunately, in January we saw a reverse in that behavior, and we would ask people to seriously consider the danger and environmental impact of getting rid of e-waste in household bins.

Mr. Donovan, also ask people to seriously consider the danger and environmental impact of getting rid of e-waste in household bins. “We need people to support a transition towards a more circular economy, which aims to keep our resources in circulation for longer.”

Recycle IT as an e-waste recycling service provider wishes to encourage Irish people to recycle safely and not place electrical items in any one household bin. Not even the green bin!

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It’s great to see people safely recycle old electrical waste at a bring centre or colleciton day. These efforts will reduce exposure to toxic and hazardous substances found in many types of electronic equipment, If not recycled correctly everyday electrical equipment poses a real risk to human health and the environment.

For Ireland to comply with EU targets, e-waste recycling will need to increase by more than 10% in 2021. (Over 2020 figures) This will help Ireland to stay in touch with the ever-increasing amounts of new electrical items appearing on the market and in homes each year. These new items usually replace older or damaged items which can and should be recycled if not fit for repair and/or reuse.

Interesting research

The world generated 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste in 2019 which is an increase of approx. 9.2 million tonnes​ in five years.

After reviewing 30 years of recorded data The World Economic Forum reports that e-waste volumes in the U.S. is decreasing. U.S. households now produce about 10% less electronic waste by weight than they did at their peak in 2015. This can also be seen in other developed countries including Ireland.

The Recycle IT team say “new electrical and electronic products are much lighter and more compact than past products, This means less weight per item but lot more items to handle and recycle”.

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Smartphones and laptops have replaced desktop computers. Flat screens have displaced bulkier TV and monitors, streaming services are doing the job that once required standalone MP3, DVD and Blu-ray players. U.S. households now produce about 10% less electronic waste by weight than they did at their peak in 2015.

This is a positive but also a negative with many smaller e-waste items ending up in household bins. If your electronic items get damaged, repair specialists can be difficult in find and costly compared to new items. Some personal electronic equipment is almost impossible to repair due to the small size, e.g. Bluetooth earbuds. The EU is looking at repair and encouraging producers to make it easier and less costly. We await an outcome!

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT provide recycling opportunities to home and business customers for all types of electronics equipment. Recycle IT offer a range of services including free, drop off, free community collections and cost-effective personal or business collections.

Our team will accept old household electrical items, small office electrical items alongside your garden power tools and pure metal equipment. We can also accept commercial appliances but do call in advance.

Recycle IT as a social enterprise works in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT are supported by Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office.

To learn more about recycling electrical equipment please call Recycle IT on 01 4578321, email us or visit www.recycleit.ie

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Climate Change Conference 2021

The Irish Government and others say, climate is the defining challenge of our time. We have an opportunity to act now to mitigate the worst effects of climate change and secure a safer future for generations to come.

You can click here to view information on how Ireland is responding to this challenge and what supports are available to help you take action.

You can also learn more from the Environmental Protection Agency in Ireland by registering for its online conference which will be held in June 2021.

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In 2019 the EPA held its last Climate Change Conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Unfortunately the 2020 Climate Change Conference was postponed but the conference is back for 2021.

The conference titled Climate Solutions for a Better Tomorrow will be hosted online on the morning of June 23rd between 9am and 1pm and on the afternoon of June 24th 2021 between 1pm and 5pm.

The conference event will run over 2 days and will cover :

Day 1 – To explore achievement of climate neutrality by 2050; challenges and solutions

Day 2 –  Explore the role of society in the transition to climate neutrality and resilience

Please register below for this free event.

Don’t forget to share on social media @ #ClimateConference2021

Further details will follow shortly after you register.

Register here.

Learn more

To learn about climate change in simple terms you can click here. The link will bring you to a website which explains common climate action terms in plain English. The explanations are designed to help describe ideas and concepts rather than to give strict scientific definitions. You can even take a quiz which is great for family learning!

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Circular Economy 2021

It was announced on June 15th 2021 that the Irish Government Cabinet has approved the general scheme of the Circular Economy Bill 2021. The Circular Economy Bill aims to curb a wide range of single-use products and ensure more robust waste management, including greater household segregation of items, and reduce food waste.

The Circular Economy Bill will:

• ensure all households have access to and use segregated waste services and incentivise the commercial sector to increase waste separation
• incentivise the reuse and the use of recyclable alternatives to a range of wasteful single-use disposable packaging and other items, and will re-designate the existing Environment Fund as a Circular Economy Fund
• provide for the GDPR-compliant use of range of technologies, such as CCTV for waste enforcement purposes, this will support efforts to tackle illegal dumping and littering
• place the Circular Economy and National Food Loss Prevention Roadmap on a statutory footing, ensuring this issue remains a priority for future governments
• streamline the processes for End-of-Waste and By-Products decisions, tackling the delays which can be encountered by industry
• consolidate Government’s policy of keeping fossil fuels in the ground by introducing prohibitions on exploration for and extraction of coal, lignite and oil shale

You can read more here.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT provide recycling opportunities to home and business customers for all types of electronics equipment. Recycle IT offer a range of services including free, drop off, free community collections and cost-effective personal or business collections.

Our team will accept old household electrical items, small office electrical items alongside your garden power tools and pure metal equipment. We can also accept commercial appliances but do call in advance.

Recycle IT as a social enterprise works in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT are supported by Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office.

To learn more about recycling electrical equipment please call Recycle IT on 01 4578321, email us or visit www.recycleit.ie

Free Residents Electrical Recycling Collections 2021 – Book Now!

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collections.

Residents Recycling Collections are back but have been temporarily modified as a result of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

WEEE Ireland are telling us the average household has 193 electrical appliances and 110 batteries. Some of these items are very old, damaged or unused and could be safely recycled!

This summer Recycle IT want to encourage householders, families, and friends to act and recycle any old, unwanted or unused electrical stuff from around the house. This includes kettles, cookers, TV’s, washing machines, games consoles, batteries, phones, computers, metals, and electronic toys; the list really is endless.

To support with recycling Recycle IT offer free resident association collections in many areas of Dublin. Our teams can collect all waste electrical, electronic and pure metal items from residents. We can collect Monday to Friday each week and once a residents group booked in advance.

Recycle IT work in partnership with Residents Groups across Dublin to offer these types of collections so ask your residents group to connect with us!

Presenting your recycling for collection

Once local residents know a collection is scheduled they can assemble old electrical, electronic and metal  equipment and have it ready and out for collection by 9am on collection day.

All waste needs to be securely contained and placed at the front of house within reach of the pavement (e.g., in your drive) but not on the pavement so as to block access. Your electrical waste should not be placed in refuse sacks or covered. Please ensure that waste items are easily accessible. If items are hidden behind a locked gate or a parked car, we may not be able to see or collect your items. Our teams will accept electrical and metal waste at no cost once used in your home or small office.

You can click here for a list of items which can be collected (PDF Files for electrical and metal items)

In the case of unforeseen circumstances such as poor weather conditions, vehicle breakdowns, roadworks or other incidents, we may be delayed, but we will do our best to keep groups updated and we will work to catch up throughout the day. At present we are not entering homes. This help maintain the safety of residents and our staff teams.

Working Together

These authorised WEEE collections are offer in association with Residents’ Associations. Each group helps by providing details on numbers of homes in the area, names of roads, and promotion of the event to householders through social media, email, leaflets newsletter etc. Recycle IT can provide further information on request.

Please note, at present our residents collections are provided free of charge to householders in South Dublin, Dublin City and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT an award-winning community recycler wishes to build on Ireland’s recycling success story and help increase the 10.9 KG of waste electrical and electronic equipment collected yearly per inhabitant in Ireland. (recorded in 2017)

We are inviting resident associations and community groups including tidy towns to speak with us about arranging a FREE collection in your area over the coming months.

Our team will accept old household electrical items, small office electrical items alongside your garden power tools and pure metal equipment. We can also accept commercial appliances but do call in advance.

Recycle IT as a social enterprise works in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT are supported by Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office. Recycle IT are active members of Community Resources Network Ireland (CRNI).

To learn more about recycling electrical equipment please call Recycle IT on 01 4578321, email us or visit www.recycleit.ie

CRNI Conference June 21!

Community Resources Network Ireland (CRNI) is Ireland’s network for community based reuse, repair and recycling organisations.

CRNI funded by the EPA under the National Waste Prevention Programme and through membership contributions. CRNI is a proud member of the European RREUSE network.

The organisational vision is an Ireland where the word ‘Waste’ doesn’t exist and where our entire community benefits from the social, environmental and economic value of all reusable resources. The team aim is to promote community based, sustainable waste management as a practical and effective way of tackling Ireland’s growing waste problem.

CRNI will host a Conference on June 2nd and 3rd 2021. The theme of the conference is Jobs & Skills in the Circular Economy.

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CRNI believe there has never been a better time to avail of European and national policy and funding programmes to invest in green and social jobs. But how is all of this momentum translating into reuse, repair and recycling training and job opportunities on the ground?

What are the barriers to developing these skills and jobs and reaping the economic, social and environmental benefits of a circular economy right across society? Join us for this important free event to explore, with key policy makers and practitioners, how we can make the most of this policy and funding landscape to create real career opportunities in the transition to a more circular economy. 

If you are interest in attending this online conference event you can register here

Speaker include:

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT provide recycling opportunities to home and business customers for all types of electronics equipment. Recycle IT offer a range of services including free, drop off, free community collections and cost-effective personal or business collections.

Our team will accept old household electrical items, small office electrical items alongside your garden power tools and pure metal equipment. We can also accept commercial appliances but do call in advance.

Recycle IT as a social enterprise works in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT are supported by Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office. Recycle IT are active members of Community Resources Network Ireland (CRNI).

To learn more about recycling electrical equipment please call Recycle IT on 01 4578321, email us or visit www.recycleit.ie

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Buying Social in Ireland

Social Enterprises

Did you know that buysocial.ie helps connect you with trading social enterprises in Ireland. Social Enterprises which are set up to do good and sell products and services to achieve that end.

The power of buying social means that every time products and/or services are purchased from a social enterprise, positive social change can occur.

Buying from social enterprises is something that can easily be arranged by government, business, householders and individuals. Just match your need to the social enterprise and away you go on the road to responsible purchasing!

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A key Feature

Social enterprise is about real enterprise. It is a business model that focuses on delivering social returns using business principles. It reinvests any surplus income earned from sales after costs to achieve its social goals. Profits do not go to any one individual, group of shareholders or board members.

Social Goals

As a social enterprise sells its products and/or services and manages costs it also plans to achieve social goals which can include:

• hiring more people facing barriers to employment.
• creating training and skills development opportunities. 
• advancing diverse culture including different interests, skills, talents and needs.
• enhancing social inclusion – the terms on which individuals / groups take part in society.
• contributing to local economies.
• supporting environmental wellbeing.

When individuals or organisations buy from a social enterprise they are creating a ripple of value in communities. Purchases can have a range of positive effects including positive economic, environmental and social impacts.

Buying Today!

Today in Ireland it’s easier than ever before to Buy Social – social enterprises are operating all over our country in sectors like office services, bike repair, childcare, catering, maintenance, furniture renewal, home repairs, cleaning, recycling, and more, all adding value to the goods and services you need and use.

If you are thinking about buying products and/or service offered by a social enterprise they should be equal or superior to those supplied by others. Quality and customer service are key to success in any organisation and usually feature highly in social enterprise.

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Creating Employment

If a social enterprise can find and serve a customer need, demand will follow, orders will be fulfilled and income will increase which leads to greater levels of certainty and sustainability within the enterprise.

This in turn can help create a training position or employment opportunities for persons seeking employment after an absence from the workforce or for younger people entering employment for the first time.

By choosing to buy from a social enterprise you are potentially enabling individuals who may have spent years out of work to get back into employment. A job can be transformational in so many ways for that person and their family.

Student Work Experience

Recycle IT

Recycle IT as a social enterprise see work based training and job creation opportunities as a route to:

• increasing self esteem and confidence.
• reducing anxiety.
• increasing exposure to variety of situations.
• building trust in abilities.
• creating economic self-sufficiency.
• learn from colleagues
• progression within or externally.

Earning an Income

Many people consider making a profit as the main characteristic of a business. But for a social enterprise business is just a mechanism. Business is used to help support or introduce products or services to communities or groups overlooked by governments and private sectors organisations. In a social enterprise these needs are ranked higher than making as much money as possible.

Social Enterprise usually operate in space between the state and private sector organisations. Social Enterprises are generally amenable to testing out new ideas, ideally through a process of planning piloting and assessing product/service delivery in a small area.

The social enterprise team ensure communities are actively involved throughout the pilot process. They remind themselves, that profit is not a core consideration in offering products or services but at the same time costs do have to be covered.

This has the benefit of ensuring ideas respond to real social needs and insights gained from communities can be shared. This process helps demonstrate the passion to address real challenges in society.

Trading

In contrast to charity organisations, social enterprises are driven by business principles including the creation of income which is vital to success. For example, many of the people served by Recycle IT are a paying customers. All paying customers receive the recycling service they order generally on a given day and time. There payment helps us operate but it also helps subsidise further recycling services and opportunities offered by Recycle IT.

The next time you need a product or service look for a social enterprise nearby that may be able to help you!

Learn more about buying for community impact here

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT provide recycling opportunities to home and business customers for all types of electronics equipment. Recycle IT offer a range of services including free, drop off, free community collections and cost-effective personal or business collections.

Our team will accept old household electrical items, small office electrical items alongside your garden power tools and pure metal equipment. We can also accept commercial appliances but do call in advance.

Recycle IT as a social enterprise works in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT are supported by Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office.

To learn more about recycling electrical equipment please call Recycle IT on 01 4578321, email us or visit www.recycleit.ie

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