Electrical equipment was already the fastest growing waste stream in the world before lockdown. The pandemic may have made things even worse. Now is the time to join our campaign to make sure unwanted electricals are reused or recycled.
During lockdown, many households took the opportunity to de-clutter their homes. Experts are concerned that the temporary closure of household waste and recycling centres (HWRC) led to a huge amount of small electrical items being thrown away with domestic rubbish.
Electrical items that are thrown away are incinerated or end up in landfill. This means precious materials and components are lost forever.
Even though HWRCs have now re-opened, collection levels are still significantly lower than normal for the time of year. The government believes an overall decrease in the collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) for recycling in 2020 is “highly likely.”
Sales of new IT equipment such as laptops, mobile phones, and monitors have increased as more people switch to working from home. As a result, we could be facing an even bigger e-waste mountain in the future.
It’s now more important than ever to ensure that our unwanted electrical items are disposed of correctly so they can be recycled or, better yet, reused. Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled and often repaired, as long as it ends up in the right place.
Join our campaign
That’s why we’ve teamed up with not-for-profit organisation Material Focus for the Recycle Your Electricals campaign. We’re calling on our clients, partners and local residents to bag up their old unwanted electricals. They can set up an amnesty collection hub or drop them off at EMERGE Recycling or another designated collection point.
Everything we collect will be assessed for reuse. It will then either be repaired or sent to our accredited reprocessors for recycling. As such, you can be sure your WEEE ends up in the right place.
By hosting a collection point you can play a vital role in tackling electrical waste and helping us to build a greener, circular economy. If you’re interested in taking part or would like to know more, please contact us via recycling@emergemanchester.co.uk or call 0161 223 8200.
