Special electronic recycling days in Meath this weekend

Free electronic recycling days will take place in Oldcastle and Ashbourne this weekend when 37 tonnes of electrical equipment are expected to be recycled in the county on Friday and Saturday. The European Recycling Platform (ERP) will be in Meath this weekend and their free electronic recycling days will take place in Gilson Park GAA grounds, Oldcastle, on Friday and in the Ashbourne Retail Park on Saturday between 10am to 4pm on both days. The ERP is urging local communities in Meath to pull together and rid their homes of electronic waste in order to reach their county targets. Oldcastle has been given a target of 12 tonnes and Ashbourne 25 tonnes. The event follows the publication of the ERP recycling league table results, which saw Meath collect an impressive 120kgs of electronic waste per resident, per recycling event, in 2009. On Friday and Saturday, ERP will be looking to Meath to boost these figures further by bringing along any old, broken and unwanted electronic items and used batteries to be recycled. Commenting on the importance of electronic cycling, Meath County Council cathaoirleach, Cllr William Carey, said: "2009 was a great year for e-waste collection in Meath and I would urge local residents to come down to ERP's free recycling day in Oldcastle and Ashbourne to ensure that we get 2010 off to a great start. With each person in the county bringing back 120kgs of electrical goods last year per event, I would recommend that people should have a look in their homes this week and clear them of old, unwanted electrical equipment and used batteries." A recent survey into Meath's recycling habits showed that the majority of Meath's residents recycle electronic waste on an annual basis. Men are more likely to recycle e-waste than women and large electronic items like TVs and computer equipment are the most common waste recycled. Martin Tobin, general manager of ERP Ireland, said: "We are excited to be back in Meath again this Friday and Saturday and are calling on all locals to come down and help Meath reach their target of 37 tonnes of e-waste. Meath has a great track record in recycling and performed strongly in our ERP recycling leagues in 2008 and 2009. "Our research also shows that most Meath households will have one or two broken or unwanted electrical items or waste batteries lying around that they no longer have use for. So, we are calling on Meath residents to bring their e-waste, no matter how big or small, to Oldcastle and Ashbourne on Friday and Saturday." ERP's free recycling day in Oldcastle and Ashbourne offers an opportunity to dispose of all types of electronic waste and used batteries and the public can bring along unwanted items such as TVs, washing machines, IT equipment, fridge-freezers and stereos or anything that has or had a battery or a plug. Those unable to make it along on Friday or Saturday can recycle their household e-waste for free at their local amenity sites at Kells Recycling Centre, Loyd Business Park; Navan Recycling Centre, Mullaghboy Industrial Estate; Trim Recycling Centre, Manorlands, Summerhill Road, or the Dunboyne Recycling Facility, Dunboyne Industrial Estate. Those buying new electronic items can also return their old items free of charge to their retailers (as long as the items are of equivalent type). The European Recycling Platform was set up in December 2002 by Braun, Electrolux, HP and Sony in response to the introduction of the European Union's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. ERP's mission is to ensure cost-effective implementation of the directive for the benefit of the participating companies and their customers.