International E-Waste Day Promotes Responsible Recycling

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): The first International E-Waste Day was held on October 13  to raise awareness about the responsible recycling of electronic waste. It is estimated that 50 million tonnes of e-waste will be generated globally in 2018. Only 20% of this e-waste is recycled each year, which means that 40 million tons of e-waste is either placed in a landfill, burned or illegally traded and treated in a substandard way, despite 66% of the world’s population being covered by e-waste legislation.

International E-Waste Day was developed by the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Forum, an international association of e-waste collection schemes comprising 26 members, including Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform (ANZRP). 40 organizations in 20 different countries are involved in the Forum worldwide. International E-Waste Day raises the public profile of responsible e-waste recycling and encourages consumers to recycle their e-waste with the resulting increase in recycling rates on the day itself and into the future.

ANZRP, as the sole Australian representative, took part in this inaugural International E-Waste Day. Through increased awareness, ANZRP promoted the values of responsible e-waste recycling and the role that everyone has to play in recycling and re-using valuable resources to close the loop and create a circular economy. ANZRP offers Australians a free and simple solution through its national e-waste recycling program, TechCollect.

In the wake of China and Thailand’s import bans, and reports of illegal e-waste exports, it is crucial to educate Australians that an environmentally responsible e-waste recycling solution exists.

“E-waste is the largest growing waste stream in Australia so it would be great to see International E-waste Day grow into an annual campaign that raises awareness of the importance of recycling end-of-life electronics. This is an important and timely initiative because e-waste will continue to increase in volume, and the materials it contains are essential for manufacturing new products,” said Warren Overton, ANZRP CEO.

 Courtesy: https://wasteadvantage.com