International E-Waste Day raises awareness about electronic waste
Fifty million tonnes of e-waste is expected to be generated globally by the end of this year – but only 20% of that will have been recycled.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum launched its first ever International E-Waste Day on 13th October to raise awareness about e-waste and encourage consumers and businesses alike to correctly dispose of it.
After the success of the day, Electrical Waste Recycling Group (EWRG) are supporting contractors in the UK to achieve WEEE Directive compliance and help create a cleaner, more sustainable future.
With 80% of dangerous and harmful global e-waste going unaccounted for, the group says the responsibility to follow these guidelines has never been more important.
Last year, the UK recycled 650,000 tonnes of electrical waste but with 1.6 million tonnes of electrical and electronic products going onto the market, there is still work to be done.
The success of International E-Waste Day
Celebrated by 30 countries worldwide, the day was the first of its kind and highlighted the importance of correct e-waste disposal.
Pascal Leroy, Secretary General of WEEE Forum hailed International E-Waste Day as a “tremendous success” and said: “In Europe, we have over 15 years’ experience of putting in place e-waste laws and management policies, but what we saw this year was a lot of interest from outside Europe.
“Countries such as India, Brazil, Colombia and Australia, for example, were very keen on raising more awareness. The day was especially popular in the countries where they had recently adopted e-waste legislation.”
Activities that took place included mobile phone recycling collections, corporate conferences, educational campaigns in schools and consumer communications.
The future of WEEE recycling in the UK
According to Mark Burrows-Smith, Chief Executive Officer of REPIC Ltd, one of the biggest challenges the UK now faces in its WEEE strategy is setting more realistic recycling targets. He believes the difficulty lies in predicting future purchasing habits and estimating the e-waste that will be generated from it.
Mark said, “In the UK, it’s difficult to determine how electrical goods are being disposed of. Some routes are perfectly legal and traceable, while other routes sadly involve illegal activity.”
The next steps
With 60% of the UK’s electrical waste not reported through authorised treatment facilities, the need for accurate, traceable and convenient recycling routes has never been more important.
Working with electrical wholesaler CEF, EWRG’s programme guarantees legal consignment of WEEE, as well as offering in-house recycling facilities and a nationwide collection service – instilling in businesses and tradespeople alike the confidence to combat the e-waste challenges ahead.
To find out more about getting involved, visit www.electricalwaste.com or call 01388 721 000.