Council Helps 'Transform' the Lives of Disadvantaged Older People
Publish Date: Thursday, 09 November 2006
Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council is helping disadvantaged older people in Northern Ireland by supporting 'Transform', the Help the Aged recycling scheme that turns discarded goods into vital funds to sustain the Charity's local activities.
The Council is placing Transform mobile phone recycling bins in 8 locations in the Borough and is urging local people to show their support and take their old mobile phones to these recycling points.
Mayor of Dungannon & South Tyrone, Councillor Jim Hamilton, stated:
"As a Council, we promote all forms of recycling and I welcome the introduction of this joint initiative with Help the Aged. I am delighted that funds generated will ensure that disadvantaged older people will enjoy an improved quality of life as this was one of my aims in my Mayoral year."
It is thought that there are millions of mobile phones lying unused and that less than 4% of mobile phones are currently recycled. Help the Aged receives up to £5 for each recyclable phone, so each and every phone donated has the potential to do a lot of good for older people.
Maeve Egerton, who is managing the Transform scheme in Northern Ireland, said:
"We are very grateful to Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council for supporting Transform and I want to thank local residents in advance for their kind donations - donations that will do much good for disadvantaged older people here in Northern Ireland. Every year, over 22867 tonnes of rubbish are created by households in Dungannon & South Tyrone. We can put some of that rubbish to very good use. As well as mobile phones, the scheme can also transform toner cartridges, spectacles and left over foreign currency. The project we are running here is a great model and we are keen to build relationships with other councils or organisations that want to help, like they have at Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council."
Mr Bertie McMinn, Director of Technical Services in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council said:
"We are delighted to be associated with this recycling initiative in conjunction with Help the Aged. Turning disused mobile phones into funds which will benefit the lives of disadvantaged older people is certainly a worthwhile project. I would encourage all residents in the Borough to support this initiative."
Locations for disposal of obsolete mobile phones are as follows:-
- Drumcoo Civic Amenity Site
- Coalisland Civic Amenity Site
- Technical Services Department
- Leisure Centre
- Council Offices
- Killymaddy Tourist Information Centre
- Ranfurly House
- Dungannon Library
For more information on the Help the Aged Transform Scheme and to find out how you can get involved, contact Maeve Egerton on (028) 9023 0666.
