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Recycling Information

( Galway achieves 12 year recycling target in 1 year !)

 

Drogheda Residents Against Bin Charges And Privatisation encourages all it's members and Residents to recycle as much of their waste, given the inadequate recycling facilities provided so far in Drogheda and South Louth.

Namely we encourage you to recycle your:

·         Glass Bottles & Jars - at any of the Rehab collection banks

·         Aluminium Cans -generally beer and soft drinks cans. Recycling aluminium saves vast amounts of electricity, because an electrolysis process is used to convert bauxite (aluminium ore) to pure aluminium. Thus recycling saves the manufacturers going through this loop again. They need only remelt it instead.

·         Paper and light cardboard -only available for those with Green Bins that is presently charged for. Also limited recycling facilities at some locations.

·         Old / Used Clothes - at any of the yellow 'Enable Ireland' recycling banks

·         Compost organic garden and kitchen waste - if you can or have the space. The Council has compost 'cones' available at a subsidized cost. These are very effective and are good at cutting down on waste.

·         White goods (Fridges etc) - facilities at council tip, but it costs money to get in and recycle these. Also transport is required.

·         Car batteries - facilities at council tip.

·         Used (engine) oil - facilities at council tip

We still await recycling facilities for the following:

·         Plastic (PET) Bottles - these make up a considerable bulk of the domestic waste stream. Germany already has a deposit system for PET plastic drinks bottles which has boosted recycling there substantially. Wellman International on the Cavan/Meath border recycles Plastic PET bottles from all over Europe, but somehow the Irish government can't or won't organise to setup a proper collection system to send them 40 miles up the road.

However there has recently been a limited effort made. Navan and Dundalk Recycling Centres take these plastic bottles. There has been a recent charge of 1euro to enter these recycling facilities (This further Charge goes against EU Law).

·         Plastic Wrapping - While this is harder to recycle, efforts could be made to significantly reduce or even eliminate the amount used. The token voluntary recycling 'efforts' of retail industry is obviously a fig leaf to hide behind, since virtually no attempt has been made to reduce the excessive packaging and wrapping.

·         Tetra Pack Cardboard - These are often used for milk, orange juice etc, but can be very bulky when discarded. Some green bin collections now beginning to take these. Dundalk Recycling Centre takes these cartons.

·         Electronic Goods (TVs. radios, computers, monitors etc ) - These items contain many varied and particularly toxic substances. Even small quantities of this stuff has the potential to cause significant contamination.

·         Used (domestic) Batteries - these contain toxic heavy metals and are one of the biggest source of such toxics in the domestic waste stream.

·         Fluorescent Tubes - these contain mercuric oxide (the white powder inside) which is very very toxic. These are regularly thrown into the domestic waste and you will often see them in skips. This is a serious and completely unrecognised and under-reported problem.

·         Domestic Toxic waste (paints, solvents, pesticides etc) We acknowledge there has been a limited trial collection service last year.

·         Building Rubble -Dundalk recycling facilities takes this. A small tax on quarry gravel, would create a large incentive for facilities to crush building rubble and turn it into road fill and other material and help cut down on the number and sizes of quarries.

·         Heavy Cardboard -no recycling facilities known for the domestic user, but most supermarkets now seem to recycle their own heavy cardboard waste.

 

The recycling service has not yet been extended to all areas. Nor do all areas have the same recycling 'Bring Centre' facilities and except for the 3 basics -glass, aluminum and paper - the incentives to recycle are practically NIL.

We lag far behind the best of our European partners in the recycling league.

We urge you to lobby the council, government, and the supermarkets to reduce the excessive packaging that comes with most of the products that we buy.

Some useful websites

www.stopthebintax.com - our sister campaign throughout Dublin and beyond

No Incineration Alliance – a Louth and Meath campaign group against a proposed Incinerator locally Please help support

www.wildireland.ie/recycle/ - Recycling in Ireland courtesy of Wild Ireland.  Find your nearest Recycling facilities
( Galway achieves 12 year recycling target in 1 year !) Dempsey denies 'sabotage' of Galway recycling scheme

http://www.enfo.ie/ - Enfo
 
http://www.zerowaste.co.nz/ - Zero Waste Policy

Recycling in Sweden still increasing

http://www.wastechange.com/

http://www.recycle.net/ - Recycler's World

www.recyclingappeal.com/ireland/ -Mobile phone recycling appeal

www.oldgrowth.org/compost/ - Composting Information
 
South Tipperary Anti Incineration Campaign

http://www.wastewatch.org.uk/ Waste Watch -
    (See also Battery Recycling -has good info on chemicals used in batteries)

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