The season of giving is just around the corner, and this year the people of Mayo can give to a charity and help the environment for free thanks to WEEE Ireland and LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice. Due to the success of last year’s inaugural Spread a Little Sunshine campaign, WEEE Ireland is teaming up with LauraLynn for a whole year to try to recycle as many waste batteries as possible while also creating a fund for the children’s charity.
Spread a Little Sunshine was officially launched at LauraLynn by this year’s ambassador, star of the Today show Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh.
It is really easy to get involved and recycle your batteries: Check your drawers, cupboards, children’s toys, schools and offices for all of those old non rechargeable waste batteries – WEEE Ireland estimate there are up to 15 spent batteries lying around in every home in the country.
Bring those waste batteries back to any retail outlet that sells similar batteries – it is obliged to recycle them for free. You can also pop them in to any blue WEEE Ireland battery box.
Alternatively, you can recycle your batteries for free at your local civic amenity site or at a designated WEEE Ireland collection day. There are civic amenity sites in Rathroeen and Newport. For more information log on to recyclefree.ie
Philomena Dunne, CEO of LauraLynn, said: “Thank you to everyone who recycled their batteries over the Christmas period last year – we were amazed at the effort people went to. One school in Dublin recycled almost 10,000 batteries for us. Now that the campaign has been extended we hope that families all across the country will make a continued effort to find those old waste batteries in the home and put them to good use by recycling them for us.”
The more batteries that are recycled, the more the children’s hospice will benefit. The money raised will go toward the upkeep of the hospice, which requires €1.4 million to operate annually. WEEE Ireland, the compliance scheme for battery and waste electrical and electronic recycling, ensures that all batteries are recycled safely.
