International Ewaste Day #IEWD is a time when we think about what motivates us to recycle old devices beyond reuse or repair. These are all great reasons to get involved.
Author: laois environment
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Dog Fouling Hazard
Dog dirt is a health hazard and someday your child might be affected by someone else’s failure to ‘do the right thing’. Failure to clean up your dog’s waste can lead to a €150 “on-the-spot” fine or on summary conviction to a fine of up to €3000.
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Responsible Dog Ownership
Please be considerate of other footpath users and clean up after your dog.Dog faeces are dangerous. Dogs are known to be carriers of campylobacter and other bacteria which can prove a health hazard to humans, but the main danger to health in dog faeces is the presence of the eggs of Toxocara Canis, or dog roundworm. Once in the human body the larvae of these eggs can cause extreme fever and illness and severe damage to organs.Contact with infected dog faeces can cause loss of sight. Please make sure your pet does not become a source of tragedy for some other family and clean up after your dog.
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Recycling – “Follow Your Lead” Campaign
Families in Laois are being challenged to find and recycle five end-of-life electrical items in a bid to improve our recycling performance, after consumption soared in the last year.The country’s largest e-waste recycling scheme, WEEE Ireland, is urging Laois residents to become e-detectives for the month of October and follow electrical leads around their homes to identify devices that are beyond repair.Smartphones are set to be high on the hitlist – EU data shows they are the most unused and hoarded electrical items lying around Irish homes.The ‘Follow Your Lead’ campaign aims to increase the supply of waste electrical recycling to local authority sites and retailer collection points to meet Ireland’s rising recycling targets.A surge in lockdown spring cleaning saw 649 tonnes of electrical waste collected in Laois by the country’s largest recycling scheme in 2020, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions.7.7kg of e-waste was recycled per person in county Laois last year – exceeding the 2019 collection rate of 7.1kg, but falling short of the 2020 national average – 10.9kg per person.To continue this momentum, WEEE Ireland are urging families to utilise the free recycling facilities available in Portarlington Recycling Centre and Portlaoise Recycling Centre.Irish homes contain an average of 15 to 20 electrical items which are broken or unused, according to WEEE Ireland.And new EU data indicates that each person is responsible for an average of 5kg of hoarded electrical waste – meaning 15-20kg of old and broken appliances are waiting to be recycled from most households.“When you add it up, 5kg equates to a kettle, a laptop that won’t power up, a smartphone beyond repair, an unplayable small gaming device and that kitchen blender in the back of the cupboard that hasn’t worked for years,” said WEEE Ireland CEO, Leo Donovan.“To mark international e-waste day in October, we are challenging families to find at least five items and free up these valuable resources for use again in manufacturing, saving on the environmental impacts of raw material extraction.“Being more resource efficient with e-waste though recycling is a simple yet sustainable way to support a more circular economy in Ireland.“We are asking people in Laois to follow the leads and plugs to these defunct devices sitting in cupboards, attics, sheds, under beds and stairs, because the components and resources contained within this equipment could be put to better use.“By turning this into a family challenge, everyone can have some fun while taking positive environmental action.”As a nation, we are consuming more electrical goods than ever before.Almost 60 million household electrical appliances, tech devices and lighting equipment were placed on the Irish market in 2020, with annual consumption rising from 15kg a head in 2016 to 21kg a head last year.“As we consume and buy more electrical appliances and devices, the recycling targets we must meet also increases to meet annual EU WEEE Directive targets, as it equates to the percentage of goods sold,” added Mr Donovan.“For all of 2021, we need to collect 65% by weight of what goes on the market.“If more people recycle their hoarded devices and appliances through the authorised WEEE systems we will be in a much better position to meet those targets and recover this distinct urban mine of materials rather than sending it to waste in landfill.”
WEEE and waste batteries contain a large variety of materials, ranging from base and precious metals to plastics, as well as critical raw materials (CRMs).WEEE Ireland works with indigenous recycling facilities certified to high quality standards to recover secondary resources from e-waste taken back by the public through a network of free collection points across the country.See weeeireland.ie for a map of free recycling drop-off points for WEEE beyond repair or reuse.Additional info on local centre:Portarlington Recycling Centre, Lea Road, Portarlington, R32 T291, 057 8642845Portlaoise Recycling Centre, Kyletalesha, Mountmellick Road, Portlaoise, R32 RD45, 057 8664000 -
How to report dog fouling.
Most dog walkers are responsible. However, a few continue to spoil our paths and walkways for other users.Any complaints concerning dog fouling in a public place should be made to Freephone 1800 32 32 30, giving details of the caller and of the person committing the offence.EnforcementSection 22 of the Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009 requires that a person in charge of a dog shall immediately remove dog faeces from a public place or face an on-the-spot litter fine of €150. The maximum court fine is €3,000.
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Autumn Blitz 2021
Autumn Blitz 2021
Laois County Council under the Anti-Dumping Initiative announce an Autumn Blitz Campaign running from 20th to 24th September 2021 in conjunction with Tidy Towns and kindly sponsored by Bord na Móna Recycling.
If you wish to be involved with this Clean Up Initiative please contact your local Tidy Towns Committee who are responsible for the coordination of the clean up groups within their areas.
Please note that Covid 19 guidelines must be adhered to.
This project is part of the National Anti Dumping Initiative 2021 co-ordinated by Laois County Council and WERLA Midlands & Eastern Region
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Dog fouling is not a dog problem, it is a human problem.
Dog fouling is not a dog problem, it is a human problem. Please clean up after your dog and dispose of the waste responsibly.
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Litter Complaints Hotline – 1800 32 32 30
The technical issues with our Litter Hotline have now been resolved.
If you would like to report an issue of illegal dumping/littering, please call our confidential litter hotline on 𝟭𝟴𝟬𝟬 𝟯𝟮 𝟯𝟮 𝟯𝟬 with the details, including the location of where the offence occurred, to assist us in our investigation.
Thank you for your support in keeping Laois clean
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Technical Issues – Litter Hotline
Please be advised that we are currently experiencing technical issues with our litter hotline 1800 32 32 30. If you wish to report illegal dumping please email environmentadmin@laoiscoco.ie or contact the Environment Section on 057 8664000
Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
