Recycling is likely to become an even bigger part of our lives that in already is, in the near future. As much as 80% of everything we discard could be recycled in some way, and at the moment, around 1.16 pounds of material is recycled per person per day. With that in mind, we are always on the look out for ways to recycle our waste for free.
Today, we’re going to look at some of the best recycling services in Ireland. Let’s get started.
- Bring bank
Firstly, there are many services offered by your local councils which will help you recycle your typical household waste. For things like drinks cans, empty tins of food, and glass bottles, a bring bank is likely to be your most convenient option. These are unstaffed collection points, where you can bring your waste and leave it for recycling. And it’s totally free.
Some bring banks also have bins for old clothes you don’t wish to discard. Consumers throw away as much as 70 pounds of clothing per year, so this is definitely a big area for improvement. First thing to do when looking for free recycling services is to check for a bring bank near you.
- Civic amenity sites
Civic amenity sites might be called a bring bank’s big brother. They essentially function the same way, but can accept a wider range of waste types, and will be staffed. They will also only be open during specified hours. Here, you can recycle virtually any household waste, such as paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, shoes, textiles, even electrical waste like fluorescent light tubes, DIY waste and debris, and even waste oil.
If you’ve got something you need recycled, likelihood is you’ll be able to recycle it here. The staff there will be able to advise you if you aren’t sure what you can recycle there.
- Recycling centres
Finally, the council also operates smaller recycling centres. These are also staffed and accept a more limited range of items. You might not be able to recycle your bulkiest waste here, but the good thing about these centres is you can find them almost anywhere. They are often added to existing council sites, like depots.
This is the place to go for convenience.
- Kerbside collection
It might seem obvious, but don’t forget about the kerbside collection available. This is available both for commercial and domestic recycling. It is more commonly called green bin collection. You can recycle things like plastic, glass, drink cans, newspapers, cardboard—most general household recyclable waste. This is one of your most convenient options.
- Terracycle
Finally, there are, of course, private waste management operations which can recycle your waste—and some of them even for free. Terracycle is one of the best, offering free recycling programs for a lot of hard to recycle wate. Virtually anything you can imagine, from water filters, to PPE, to ubber gloves and all kinds of plastic packaging.
Terracycle is a great way to reduce the number of items you discard entirely, since council recycling is a bit more limited in what you can recycle. Many kinds of packaging are much tougher to recycle—but not for Terracycle.
As you can see, then, there are plenty of ways to recycle your waste for free in Ireland. Whether you do it through the numerous council services available throughout the country, or with a private waste management company looking to help you optimise your recycling often free of charge, this is one way we can all make a real difference to the future of our planet.