Battery Recycling Champions title for County Roscommon School
Darragh Brennan, Colette Brennan, (Principal), Matthew Fox, Susan O’Connor (teacher), Niamh Sexton and Daniel O’Connor from Kilteevan National School after the school was named Battery Recycling Champion in WEEE Ireland’s nationwide Schools Battery Recycling Competition. Pic. Gerard O’Loughlin
Students from Kilteevan National School collected the equivalent of 22,650 used AA batteries for recycling during the last school year, earning them the title of Battery Recycling Champions.
As part of WEEE Ireland’s nationwide Schools’ Battery Recycling Competition, the school won in its category and was awarded a €2,000 sports voucher for its commitment to sustainability.
The annual initiative, now entering its 13th year, collected the equivalent of 1.5m AA batteries from schools across Ireland from last October to March 2024 - the weight of almost four school buses.
A total of 31 schools from County Roscommon participated in the campaign collecting the equivalent of 125,450 used AA batteries.
With a record number of schools participating last year, the country’s largest e-waste and battery recycling scheme is once again calling on primary and secondary students throughout Ireland to participate in the vital circular initiative this year with registration open from October.
TV and radio presenter, Laura Woods launched this year’s contest, which also supports LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.
"A huge congratulations to Kilteevan National School whose recycling efforts not only make a significant environmental impact but also provide essential support to the children and families who depend on LauraLynn's services," said Laura.
"It's inspiring to see so many schools engage in this important drive to rescue millions of batteries that might otherwise sit forgotten in drawers or old devices and ensure their valuable materials can be recovered for reuse.”
The WEEE Ireland’s Schools Battery Recycling Competition is open to all primary and secondary schools in WEEE Ireland battery recycling counties that collect at least 10 full 5kg battery boxes.
By actively encouraging the involvement of teachers, families, and the broader community to collect used batteries for recycling, students can ensure that valuable materials like lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper are recovered and reused, rather than lost to landfill.
