ERP Ireland revives the (EE)Elk

Making invisible e-waste impossible to ignore

On 9^th March, 2026, ERP Ireland unveiled its ‘Trash EEE-lk’ installation ahead of this year’s St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin. EEE is short for Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

‘Trash EEE-lk’ brings an ancient giant back to life to symbolise Ireland’s growing invisible e-waste problem. It forms a wider part of this year’s St. Patrick’s Festival theme, Roots, which explores identity, belonging and the shared stories that connect generations.

‘Trash EEE-lk’ forms part of ERP’s Sustainability Partnership with St Patrick’s Festival.

Designed by renowned Irish artist, Ned Leddy, and built from over 1,000 electrical items and components, the towering, four‑metre‑high, five‑metre‑long ‘Trash EEE‑lk’, boasting 3.5 metre antlers, exposes hidden electrical waste in our homes.

The aim of the majestic mammal, which dominated St. Patrick’s Park from 14^th – 16^th March, was to encourage people to dispose of electrical items, most notably, invisible e-waste properly.

In addition to ‘Trash EEE-lk’, ERP has just released new findings in a survey conducted by Coyne Research.

It reveals that 55% of adults have never heard of the term “Invisible WEEE” – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment – despite almost universal ownership of small electrical items that often go unnoticed in Irish homes.

The findings show that chargers and cables are the most hoarded, most binned, and most recycled Invisible WEEE items, simply because almost every household owns several of them.

Vapes (13%) and audio accessories (9%) are among the items most commonly mis-disposed of, while smart home devices (33%), electric blankets (33%) and even St. Patrick’s light‑up hats and accessories (6%) add to ever-growing stockpiles of invisible e-waste accumulating in our homes.

Commenting on this year’s instalment, Country General Manager of ERP Ireland, James Burgess, said:

“This year’s St. Patrick’s Festival theme, Roots, is about understanding where we come from and how we shape the future. By reimagining the ancient Irish Elk through modern electronic waste, we want to spark meaningful conversations about sustainability and encourage people to think differently about the electrical items in their homes. ‘Trash EEE-lk’ truly brings Ireland’s lost Elk – and invisible WEEE – back into view.

Richard Tierney, CEO of St. Patrick’s Festival, commented:

“Sustainability is one of our core organisational values, and it’s an area where we are committed to leading by example. We have partnered with European Recycling Platform for several years, and together we aim to inspire our communities to embrace responsible recycling practices and help pave the way for a greener future.”