Free battery recycling scheme launched for Leitrim this new year

Leitrim people recycled the equivalent of 18 batteries per household last year, above the national average of 16, as new national data today revealed that only half of household batteries sold are making their way back for recycling each year.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland plans to deliver recycling boxes to homes nationwide during January in a bid to help households recycle their electrical goods for free.

It is urging people to use this month to recycle any used batteries and unwanted small electrical items, gathered over the Christmas period, rather than storing them away or binning them.

Waste batteries can also be recycled at any shop that sells batteries or electrical goods, that has a WEEE Ireland Blue Battery Box or at your nearest Local Authority recycling centre. 

“As people make space for new gifts received at Christmas, we are asking people in Leitrim to plan an e-waste and battery clear-out, ” said Leo Donovan, CEO of WEEE Ireland.

“Our blue battery boxes are a simple but powerful reminder that batteries should never go in household bins. Returning for recycling ensures the safe recovery and reuse of the materials they contain.” 

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When it comes to small electronic items, 2024 figures from WEEE Ireland show a similar trend, with 40 per cent of Ireland’s annual small electronic gift and toy purchases happening in the festive period, but just 30 per cent of these are returned to the circular economy for recycling.

Recycling rates for electronic toys such as gaming consoles, e-scooters and battery-operated action figures are even lower, dropping to just 10 per cent, leaving millions of unused, broken or obsolete toys lying around in homes or discarded incorrectly in the household bin.

Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment & Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Alan Dillon TD, said

“Every home in Ireland can make a difference. Batteries don’t belong in the bin – they belong in recycling. When we dispose of them incorrectly, we risk fires and environmental pollution.

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 More information on WEEE Ireland’s network of free collection points across local authority civic amenity centres and retailers is available at weeeireland.ie