The European Recycling Platform Aims to Banish Unused Cables Snaking Around Irish Homes with St. Patrick’s Festival Partnership
As new research shows that 1 in 3 are hoarding up to 10 unused cables, ERP is encouraging people to go green and recycle this St. Patrick’s Weekend
The European Recycling Platform (ERP), Ireland’s only pan-European compliance scheme for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Waste Batteries announced research results by Coyne Research which revealed that 1 in 3 adults have between 5 to 10 unused electrical cables in their homes. Charging cables are the most common type of unused cables (77%), followed by USB (66%) and HDMI Cables (49%). Almost half of those surveyed keep these unused cables in a drawer in the home.
The research, commissioned by ERP, revealed that over half of all adults surveyed were aware of legislation announced by the European Council, Commission, and Parliament which requires all new smartphones, tablets, cameras, and other electronic gadgets marketed in the EU to have a USB-C charging port by the end of 2024. As this change comes into effect, households will likely have plenty of waste cables snaking around their homes to be recycled.
This St. Patrick’s Day, ERP is encouraging people to go green and banish unused cables from their homes – not by putting them in their domestic waste bins, but by recycling them at their nearest electrical retailer or recycling centre.
ERP Ireland was recently announced as a Sustainability Partner for this year’s St. Patrick’s Festival. As part of their partnership, ERP worked with artist Ned Leddy to create a WEEE inspired installation entitled ‘Trash Mammoth’ to raise awareness among festival goers about the importance of recycling electrical waste. Made from over 100 small electrical items and standing at 13 feet tall, the installation will be on display at St. Patrick’s Festival Quarter at the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks on 16th - 17th March.
Festival Quarter kicks off the Bank Holiday weekend at 12pm on Saturday 16th with a jam-packed family friendly programme of events including craic, ceol, dancing, games, conversation, workshops, food, and all kinds of entertainment for absolutely everybody, before Mother’s Cultúr Club takes over the site on the evening of March 16th for a massive St. Patrick’s Eve party. On March 17th, Festival Quarter will be a huge celebration of Irish culture throughout the day and night and is again completely FREE.
James Burgess, Country General Manager of ERP Ireland said: “We are excited to announce our sustainability partnership with St. Patrick’s Festival and align our purpose with the festival's commitment to an eco-friendly St. Patrick’s celebration. This St. Patrick’s Weekend, ERP is encouraging everyone to join us in banishing unused cables from their homes and recycling them at their nearest free electrical recycling drop-off point. We believe that through such initiatives and partnerships we can collectively make a positive impact on our environment.”
Richard Tierney, CEO of St. Patrick’s Festival said: “We are delighted to partner with the European Recycling Platform in our shared mission to promote sustainability. Sustainability is one of our core organisational values, and it’s an area where we feel we can really lead from the front on. Partnering with organisations like the European Recycling Platform means we can inspire communities to embrace responsible recycling practices and pave the way for a greener future”.
Visit the MyWaste.ie website to locate your nearest free recycling drop-off point on their interactive map here.