Every year an estimated 2 million tonnes of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) items are discarded by households and companies in the UK. There are 10 broad categories of WEEE currently outlined within the WEEE Regulations 2013:
- Large household appliances
- Small household appliances
- IT and telecommunications equipment
- Consumer equipment
- Lighting equipment
- Electrical and electronic tools
- Toys, leisure and sports equipment
- Medical devices
- Monitoring and control equipment
- Automatic dispensers
The vast range of e-waste products will all head to landfills or gets burned if just thrown in the bin. Without taking the steps to dispose of e-waste properly, it can have extreme environmental consequences:
- Toxic chemicals entering our soil and water will contaminate habitats and causes damages to human health.
- Toxic air pollutants formed through burning e-waste will lead to respiratory disorders and increases global warming.
While yes, some electronics can be time consuming to breakdown and recycle, unlike organic waste, e-waste does not biodegrade and will sit in landfills polluting our planet for centuries and in some cases for millions of years. Taking the time to recycle your electronics contributes to an overall healthier and cleaner planet.
On this day, campaigns are rolled out to encourage responsible e-waste management:
- The Great Cable Challenge
Each cable contains valuable critical and finite materials, namely copper. Each household on average has 15 cables unused and stored away. Every one of these cables can be recycled and helps the planet just that little bit more.
This is only the second year running The Great Cable Challenge, saving copper from going to waste and helping thousands to clear out their ‘drawer of doom’. Copper is 100% recyclable and uses 85% less energy than mining new copper. Research done by ‘Recycle your Electricals’ show there’s enough copper inside unwanted and binned electricals to fulfil the UK’s annual demand.
- Recovery of Critical Raw Materials (CRM)
In 2025, encouraged by WEEE Forum, the primary focus around ‘International E-waste Day’ is the recovery of Critical Raw Materials (CRM). Not many are aware that CRMs can be recovered from disused electronic products found in our houses.
In Europe, by 2030 only 25% of CRMs should be insourced from mining outside of the EU. 25% should come from recycling, however this goal cannot be reached without an increase in e-waste being collected and managed correctly. While there still needs to be developments within the recovery of these materials, consumers play the direct role in keeping CRMs in circulation.
Please recycle your e-waste!