Ashbourne takes to recycling with gusto!

One of the biggest recycling events ever held in Ireland took in Ashbourne on Saturday when five 40ft trucks of electrical equipment and 32 containers of assorted waste were taken away for recycling. Locals started arriving at Ashbourne community Centre, where the one-day event was taking place, at 7am on Saturday morning and more than 1,500 vehicles arrived throughout the day, bringing more than 185 tonnes of household waste for recycling. The waste arrived in trailers, strapped to the roofs of cars, on the backs of bicycles and even in wheelbarrows! One young woman attendeding the event said it was like something she had seen in pictures of Noah"s ark. The event was the brainchild of Cllr Joe Bonner who organised the recycling day in conjunction with Meath County Council, Thornton"s Recycling and European Recycling Platform (ERP) Ireland. Ashbourne and District Community Council made its grounds available for this event. Facilities were made available for the disposal of household waste only, including electrical equipment televisions, computer equipment, dishwashers, washing machines, fridges, cookers, kettles and radios. Other waste accepted included bicycles, timber, tables, chairs, beds, mattresses, couches, toys and garden furniture. The day started at 7.30am with nearly 80 cars in the queue and continued non-stop until 4pm. At the end of the day, approximately 1,500 cars, vans and trailers had passed through the facility. ERP Ireland accepted five 40 foot containers (35 tons) of electrical waste - and had a staff of five on site for the day. Thornton"s removed 32 containers (150 tons) of assorted waste and had eight staff on duty. Ashbourne Community Council had 15 volunteers assisting the public, directing traffic and cleaning up after 4pm. The site was cleared and the last skip left the centre at 7pm. Cllr Bonner thanked all the workers for their efforts throughout the day and, in particular, the voluntary ADCC staff and the Thornton"s staff who worked until the site was cleared. He pointed out that the success of the day strongly indicated that a waste disposal facility was needed in the Ashbourne area - adding that many cars were turned away after 4pm.