European Battery Recycling Week, September 9th – 15th 2019
September 9, 2019
From Monday 9th to Sunday 15th September, European Battery Recycling Week will be celebrated in a number of countries across Europe.
The week long initiative powered by EUCOBAT, the Pan-European association of national battery collection organisations of which WEEE Ireland is a member, will see local awareness campaigns take place in member countries throughout the week, reminding the public of the importance of collecting, sorting and recycling their used batteries.
WEEE Ireland together with our fellow EUCOBAT members collect 55,000 tonnes of waste batteries each year across Europe. This is the equivalent to 2.5 billion batteries per year, or more than 10 million batteries collected per day. Which is more than 75% of all portable batteries collected in Europe and the same weight as 7 and 1/2 Eiffel Towers!
National statistics estimate that 23 batteries per person are purchased in Ireland each year. With the equivalent to 11 AA waste batteries per person recycled by WEEE Ireland in 2018, this means that there are about 12 more batteries per person being hoarded or hidden in homes, or worse still wrongly put in the rubbish bin.
With an EU battery recycling target of 45% of waste batteries placed on the market and householders using more and more batteries in small electrical appliances – every battery recycled in a WEEE Ireland Blue Battery Box is more important than ever before.
Whether at home, in school, or at participating retailers, recycling waste batteries in WEEE Ireland’s Blue Battery Boxes not only helps the environment but also supports LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice, through a charitable donation to deliver support and palliative care to children with life-limiting conditions and their families.
So, take steps to power up your battery recycling today! Hunt down the 23 waste batteries hiding around your home for recycling with WEEE Ireland and make a positive difference, both to the environment, and to the lives of children with life-limiting conditions.
#EveryBatteryMatters #RecycleforGood #EBRW
Use our online map to locate your nearest WEEE Ireland authorised recycling points.