International E-Waste Day to focus on small e-waste reuse, repair and recycling under the slogan ‘Recycle it all, no matter how small!’ this 14 October.
WEEE Forum says that small, end-of-life electrical and electronic appliances present a significant challenge. The UN has estimated that in 2022 alone, 24.5 million tonnes of small e-waste will be produced worldwide, which the WEEE Forum says is as much as four times the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The WEEE Forum says that due to their small size, items such as cell phones, electric toothbrushes, toasters and cameras are often discarded incorrectly, and they make up a significant proportion of the 8% of all e-waste that is thrown in general waste bins which are subsequently landfilled or incinerated.
We want to remind people of the importance of every single piece of electronics or electrical product that is forgotten about in household drawers.
WEEE Forum says 800 grams of silver, 150 grams of gold and 50 grams of palladium can be extracted from one tonne of printed circuit boards that are found in many small electronic devices such as cameras, phones and tablets.
It says the producer responsibility organisations in the WEEE Forum that manage the collection of e-waste are constantly working to make the proper disposal of small e-waste simple and convenient for users and households. Providing collection boxes in supermarkets, pick up of small broken appliances upon delivery of new ones and offering PO Boxes to return small e-waste are just some of the initiatives introduced to encourage the return of these items.
The WEEE Forum says that last year over 170 organisations from fifty countries worldwide supported #ewasteday. This year too, the WEEE Forum has invited all organisations involved in effective and responsible e-waste management to plan awareness-raising activities for 14 October.
WEEE Forum, Pascal Leroy, said: “With this fifth edition of the International E-Waste Day, we want to remind people of the importance of every single piece of electronics or electrical product that is forgotten about in household drawers around the world.
“These devices offer many important resources that can be used in the production of new electronic devices or other equipment, such as wind turbines, electric car batteries or solar panels – all crucial for the green, digital transition to low-carbon societies.”