Get involved this Autumn!

The Dublin Community Clean-up 2022 is happening from the 10th to the 18th of September 2022

Dublin’s Four Local Authorities, Clean Coasts, National Spring Clean, Local Authority Waters Programme, Waterways Ireland, Dublin City Canals, Dodder Action, residents, volunteers, and community groups county-wide are coming together for Dublin’s largest clean-up event will run from the 10th to the 18th of September. Get your community, friends and family involved and from the mountains to the sea let’s make Dublin litter-free.

The Dublin Community Clean-up event was first created in 2019 and was building on the success of previous calls to action such as Dodder Action Day, Dublin Canals Action Day, Team Dublin Clean-up and Dublin Waters Action day. Now all the groups have come together for Dublin’s biggest volunteer clean-up on the city’s streets, canals, rivers, mountains and coastline.

Building on Achievement

This year, the groups involved are hoping to build on the great achievement of 2021. They are asking that all volunteers around Dublin join forces and organise clean-ups around the cities, to make this the biggest clean-up event ever!

South Dublin County Council has been supporting the Dublin Community Clean-Up Event for several years and it encourages all members of the community to come together and make improvements to our county.

The Council comments “when communities, business and the council come together so much can be achieved” “The Council is committed to making South Dublin a litter-free county and want to encourage everyone to avail of the many resources provided by the council to improve and enhance your area.”

This is a great opportunity to work together and get your family and friends involved in the action! The resources available include the Social Credit Scheme which supplies volunteers with clean-up materials and more. Details of the Social Credits Scheme can be found at www.sdcc.ie.

So, this September why not get the whole community, in locations from the mountains to the sea, working together to help make Dublin cleaner and free from litter.

To register, check out www.dublincommunitycleanup.ie for more information.

You can learn more by reading the answer to Dublin Community Clean-Ups Frequently Asked Questions. Just click here.

You can also visit the Dublin Community Clean-up website here.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning social enterprise providing a community, personal and business collection service for all types of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Dublin and surrounding counties.

Each year Recycle IT offered drop-off and collection services to thousands of homes, schools, charities and businesses across Dublin and surrounding areas collecting a range of WEEE which includes thousands of computers, cables, monitors, microwaves and screens

Recycle IT services are provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT is supported by Pobal, Dormant Accounts, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authorities across Leinster.

If you find old household or small office electrical items during your Dublin Community Clean-Up 2022 you can drop them off to Recycle IT. Recycling drop-off is free and our team are happy to help!

Electrical and Electronic Waste Targets – Set to High!

In 2021 Irish households recycled a record number of electrical items. This is great news and well done but the country’s largest waste electrical and electronic recycling scheme has warned that its unsustainable targets need to change to reflect a more circular economy. A greater number of people are now thinking about and doing more to repair and reuse items as part of our circular economy.

WEEE Ireland in their 2021 annual report reveals that 18.7 million waste electrical items were recycled last year in the areas of Ireland covered by WEEE Ireland recycling initiatives (approx. 74% coverage).

For example, 127,000 fridges and 205,000 TVs and monitors were recovered for recycling, as well as more than 2.3 million lightbulbs.

The total weight of items recycled was a massive 38,464 tonnes or 57% of the average goods sold over a three-year period. The equivalent of more than 54 million used AA batteries were also saved from ending up in a landfill.

Leo Donovan, WEEE Ireland chief executive has cautioned that the changing nature of products means that the recycling versus sales targets which benchmark the European WEEE system is “no longer fit for purpose”.

Leo Donovan says “As a nation, we are consuming more electrical goods than ever. The annual tonnage on the market rose by 50% in six years to 22kg per head of population last year, with 69 million units placed on the market in 2021.”

“We need to recognise that many larger appliances don’t reach the end of life for many years through design and repair strategies. “Although Ireland’s percentage takeback levels are far above the European average, the distance to our mandatory 65% takeback target is widening every year.

“The changing nature of products and their lifecycles mean that a simple recycles by weight system is no longer fit for purpose. Electronic equipment used daily such as TVs, monitors, computers and laptops all weigh less than previous models. New home and business technologies such as solar panels and Air to Air heat pumps are another good illustration of change. They are heavy or large tonnage items which have a long lifespan, usually about, 15-20 years. This increased lift span is due to greater innovation by the producers of these products. They won’t be recycled quickly but still, make up the target for recycling.

The same thing has happened with lighting, where long-lasting LED bulbs are changing the nature of the lighting market previously dominated by short-use incandescent light bulbs.

We all should keep reducing, reusing, and recycling for environmental good but we also should be aware of the change in the market and how the circular economy is starting to gain traction as more of us become aware of the value of reuse.

Source of Information

This post is informed by the WEEE Ireland Annual Report 2021, the Irish Examiner in an article first published on Sunday, June 19^th, 2022, and from first-hand practical experience gained by Recycle IT in helping recycle waste electrical and electronic equipment weekly in Dublin.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning social enterprise providing recycling collection and drop-off services for all types of waste electrical, electronic equipment (WEEE) and pure metal items.

Recycle IT services are provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development, Dormant Accounts Fund, Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authorities across Leinster.

For further details about our free and cost-effective services call us on 01 4578321, email info@recycleit.ie or visit the Recycle IT website at www.recycleit.ie

Some Facts

According to European Bedding Industry Association, up to 30 million mattresses annually reach their end of life and it is estimated that 60% end up in landfill and 40% are incinerated. However, it is reported that almost 85% of their mass can be recycled through proper disassembly.

The Sleep Council recommends you replace your mattress every seven years because after that time it will have been subjected to more than 20,000 hours of use or 2,555 nights of sleep. When you consider that adults lose an average of half a pint of fluid each night, and shed a pound of dead skin cells each year it might well be the right decision.

Replacing your Mattress

When it comes to buying a replacement mattress the cost can range anywhere between a few hundred and a few thousand euros, so you probably don’t want to spend much money to dispose of your old mattress. On top of that many households struggle with how best to dispose of old and unwanted mattresses.

Your local civic amenity site usually accepts old mattresses for recycling, but getting the mattress to the location can be a challenge in terms of time and cost. You’ll also need a vehicle big enough to fit a mattress.

If you have a car but your boot is too small to fit the mattress when flat, you might find that it fits if you roll the mattress up and fasten it with rope. This effort usually takes 2 people. You might also use a van to get your mattress to the civic amenity site/mattress recycling centre.

Mattress Recycling for Reuse

When you hand over your old mattress for recycling it will make its way to the specialist, mattress recycling facility in Ireland where most of the breakdown and separation work is done by hand. You will see the general steps in the below table.

Mattress material	How it is recycled	What it is recycled into
Metal springs removed	Shipped and melted down for reuse	Construction / metal manufacturing material
Foam padding separated	Extracted/cleaned for reuse	Furniture stuffing, pillows, and carpet underlay
Spilt natural fibres (i.e. wool & cotton)	Washed and spun into new fibres	Insulation, new yarn, or other recycled textiles
Detach outer fabric	Stripped from mattress and shredded down	Low-grade fabric, refuse-derived fuel (renewable energy)

Free Mattress Recycling

To help, Recycle IT offers a simple, convenient, sustainable and free solution over a number of weeks each year

This year the Household Mattress Recycling Amnesty will start on Monday, Aug 29th 2022. The drop-off location is Recycle IT, 14/2 Crag Terrace, Clondalkin Industrial Estate, D22 TK37. Householders can drop off Monday to Friday between 8.30am – 3pm.

Our facility will also open on four Saturdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm including Saturday, Sept 17th Sept 24th, Oct 1st, and Oct 8th, 2022.

Due to demand, we have been able to extend the free drop off until Fri Oct 14^th 2022.

The last day for this Household Mattress Recycling Amnesty is now Friday, Oct 14th 2022 at 2pm.

This Mattress Recycling Amnesty is for householders only and is not open to business.

Help will be on hand to lift and move old mattresses from cars and vans to the mattress recycling colleciton point. We will also be open on a number of Saturday mornings (dates to be confirmed).

Upcoming Mattress Recycling Events in the Community

• 13^th  September 2022 – AGP0 (Lucan Harriers) Car Park, Newcastle Road, Lucan, Co. Dublin
• 15^th September 2022 – Rathcoole Community Centre Car Park, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin
• 21^st September 2022 – Tymon Park Car Park, Castletymon Road, Dublin 24
• 29^th September 2022– Killinarden Community Centre Car Park, Killinarden, Dublin 24
•  5^th October 2022 – Tymon Park Car Park, Limekiln Road, Dublin 12

All collections will take place between 9:30am and 12:00pm

You can learn more about our 2023 Mattress Recycling Initiative here. This initiative will be run in partnership with South Dublin County Council.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning social enterprise providing recycling collection and drop-off services for all types of waste electrical, electronic equipment (WEEE) and pure metal items.

Recycle IT services are provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development, Dormant Accounts Fund, Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authorities across Leinster.

For further details about our free and cost-effective services call us on 01 4578321, email info@recycleit.ie or visit the Recycle IT website at www.recycleit.ie

Recycle IT is absolutely delighted to announce our organisation has been shortlisted for the Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2022 operated by Chambers Ireland and supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and BAM Ireland.

The Sustainable Business Impact Awards are a flagship accolade and most prestigious.  Our inclusion on the shortlist reflects the hard work and dedication of our team and their work in the world of recycling!

The Sustainable Business Impact Awards showcase best practices in sustainable business development and social responsibility undertaken by companies across Ireland. The UN Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of these Awards, celebrating sustainable business practices and championing Chambers Ireland’s alignment with the Goals.

What does shortlisting mean to us?

For us, it is recognition that our work promoting and offering recycling opportunities, our standards, our customer service, and a focus on supporting employment in the sector is to be recognised.

Being shortlisted is excellent for team morale and really emphasises our passion and experience within the social enterprise and waste management sectors. Everyone in the team has contributed to the success of our entry and the success of our social enterprise!

Minister of Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, stated,

“Social Enterprises provide a vital role in their communities. This was particularly so during Covid-19 when so many Social Enterprises went above and beyond. I’m therefore delighted to support these awards, which contribute to improving the opportunities for social enterprises in the business-to-business supply chain. Sponsorship of the ‘Partnering with a Social Enterprise’ category underscores my commitment to supporting Social Enterprises and to the ongoing delivery of the National Social Enterprise Policy.”

Awards Ceremony

The winners across 14 categories will be announced at an awards ceremony in Dublin on September 22^nd, 2022.  Congratulations to all shortlisted, we can’t wait to celebrate with you and we’ve got our fingers and toes crossed. You can read more here.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning social enterprise providing recycling collection and drop-off services for all types of waste electrical, electronic equipment (WEEE) and pure metal items.

Recycle IT services are provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development, Dormant Accounts Fund, Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authorities across Leinster.

For further details about our free and cost-effective services call us on 01 4578321, email info@recycleit.ie or visit the Recycle IT website at www.recycleit.ie