Brought to you by WEEE Ireland
You've probably been throwing these out wrong this entire time.
Do you recycle your broken phones? Or your old televisions? How about your last laptop, or used batteries?
If your answer to any of these is no, it looks like you're not alone.
A recent
WEEE Ireland study has shown that nearly a third (30%) of 18-24 year olds discard their broken devices or small electric items in waste bins, instead of recycling them. In comparison, only 7% of over 55s were guilty of chucking these electrics in the waste bin.
But as it turns out, this is one of the worst things you could do, both from an environmental and safety perspective.
In case you're not aware, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is anything that has a plug or a battery, and is at the end of its useful life.
WEEE items, if not disposed of properly, can have really serious effects on the environment, our health and even our safety.
This is why all of our beloved tech, such as phones, laptops and monitors, can and should be recycled. To find your local WEEE Ireland recycling point, click
here.
And it's completely free! So there really is no excuse not to...
Phones, laptops and TVs
Have you tried turning it off and on again? Still not working? Probably time for an upgrade...
But when it comes to chucking out your old devices, the last place they should be going is the black bin.
All of these items can and should be recycled at your local recycling centre or electrical store.
When we illegally dump or mismanage items like these, hazardous materials can cause some nasty pollution that's harmful to our health and the environment.
The easiest and safest way to get rid of your technology is at your local recycling centre or electrical shop. There are loads of free, authorised recycling points all around the country, so it couldn't be easier to dispose of your old electrics.
Batteries
It's not just our screens that need to be recycled. You shouldn't be throwing any WEEE items in your waste bin.
If batteries aren't disposed of correctly, there can be some serious consequences. When batteries end up in landfills, it increases the risk of battery-related fires, which is not ideal to say the least.
But it doesn't look like binning batteries is our only issue. As it turns out, there's a generation of battery hoarders among us...
WEEE Ireland's study showed that 15% of 18-24 year olds are holding onto waste batteries instead of recycling them, and men are even more likely to hang onto them than women.
You might be thinking there isn't an issue with hanging on to old electrical equipment, as long as they don't end up in the dump. But this is actually a huge waste of resources because, if we're not recycling these, we're wasting valuable raw materials that could have been reused or reproduced.
To find a WEEE Ireland recycling point near you, click
here.
To find out more about recycling electrical items and to find your nearest WEEE recycling point, visit weeeireland.ie.
Brought to you by WEEE Ireland
