International E-waste Day
It is estimated that 50 million tonnes of e-waste will be generated globally in 2018. Half of this is personal devices such as computers, screens, smartphones, tablets and TVs, with the remainder being larger household appliances and heating and cooling equipment.
Only 20% of global e-waste is recycled each year, which means that 40 million tonnes of e-waste is either placed in landfill, burned or illegally traded and treated in a sub-standard way and this is despite 66% of the world’s population being covered by e-waste legislation. This results in the huge loss of valuable and critical raw materials from the supply chain and causes serious health, environmental and societal issues through illegal shipments of waste to developing countries.
Even in the EU, which leads the world in e-waste recycling, only 35% of e-waste is officially reported as collected and recycled and the lack of public awareness is preventing countries from developing circular economies for electronic equipment.
In this context, the International E-Waste Day has been developed by the WEEE Forum with the support of 27 not-for-profit e-waste companies in 21 different countries across the world. It is being used to raise the public profile of e-waste recycling and encourage consumers to recycle their e-waste with the resulting increase in e-waste recycling rates on the day itself and into the future.
The very first International E-waste Day took place on the 13 October 2018 in Europe and globally thanks to extensive collaboration between the WEEE Forum and its members. International E-waste Day focused on raising awareness on e-waste issues and e-waste collection and recycling. Please see below the list of the activities that took place in different countries.
Geographical coverage of the initiative.
If you are not a WEEE Forum member, how can you participate?
The WEEE Forum Community welcomes external partners to support the initiative. We need as many hands as possible to improve the situation! Please contact us at info@weee-forum.org so we can coordinate your involvement in this WEEE Forum initiative.
Planned activities' overview:
| WEEE Forum members | ||
| ANZRP |
Australia
|
* general communication activities |
| UFH |
Austria
|
* Mobile phones school collections * In cooperation with Jane Goodall Institute |
| Recupel |
Belgium
|
* Game for secondary schools focusing on Circular Economy: Raw material hunt: The mission is to sell as much electrical appliances as possible in an ecologically and socially responsible manner. Raw material hunt is a playful way to experience in class that it is possible to continue producing electrical equipment, without disadvantages for the planet and the population. Moreover students pick up a lot of relevant and scientific information along the way. * in cooperation with GoodPlanet |
| EPRA |
Canada
|
* general communication activities |
| ASEKOL and Elektrowin |
Czech Republic
|
* school information campaigns |
| EES Ringlus |
Estonia
|
* Annual awareness campaign about propoer E-waste disposal in partnership with the website https://kuhuviia.ee/en indicating the closes collection point (also available in mobile version). * social media campaign about collecting WEEE. |
| IRF |
Iceland
|
* IRF working with: Collectors, municipalities, EPA, trade and industry |
| WEEE Ireland |
Ireland
|
• Corporate: October 8th launch International E-Waste Day at WEEE Ireland Conference: Future Proofing through Innovation and Excellence • Householder PR: Photocall and national press release • Schools: Launch of mobile phones recycling pilot with data destruction • Local Authority Partnership: Promotion and advertising of WEEE recycling at local recycling centres • Advertising: Online and social media advertising campaign • Members: Dedicated newsletter to Members • Promotion of dedicated small WEEE website: https://www.weeeireland.ie/small-things-matter/ |
| Ecodom |
Italy
|
Ecodom will do a communication campaign in partnership with the National Consumers Union (UNC), the first consumer association in Italy with: • an on-line guide, explaining to Consumers what WEEE is and how to dispose it; • a press release and other media relations activity; • a newsletter (sent to 200.000 subscribers): the landing page will contain the project description and the link for the free download of the guide; • post on the main social media. |
| Re.media |
Italy
|
* Remedia will organize a special event with AIRES (the Italian electronics retailer association) to promote the “one to zero” in store collection of small WEEE. |
| EGIO |
Lithuania
|
*Photo contest in the frame of the educational project, ‘Mes rūšiuojam (We recycle), involving more than 2220 institutions, called ‘Exposure from Electronics Waste’ *Communication activities in the national media, radio and TV |
| WEEE Malta |
Malta
|
* seminars for producers * activity targeted for school children * WEEE collection activities |
| Wecycle |
Netherlands
|
* Launch of ‘Recycletainment’ communication campaign, first time on Snapchat, with the goal to hand in more small WEEE at shops * Press release * Online promotion |
| Norsirk and Renas |
Norway
|
* Focus on the dealers and information to shop employees about the producer responsibility system: awareness campaign towards members with shops about their responsibility to accept returns of WEEE and proper sorting and storage. * Information for consumers about the take back solution * In collaboration with Norwegian Environment Agency who will issue information materials, posters and fact sheets and newspaper articles about EPR and its effects. |
| ElektroEko |
Poland
|
* Information campaigns and collections in more than 3000 schools |
| AMB3E |
Portugal
|
more information to follow |
| ECOTIC |
Romania
|
* Guided tours of ECOTIC Caravan and Vacaresti Natural Park in Bucharest * School visits by ECOTiC Caravan * Visits to CMCI Iasi collecting centre organised for pupils and students * Employee awareness-raising campaign * Collection campaigns, door-to-door campaings and visits to the recycling plant |
| Environ |
Romania
|
• Release of a new smart recycling app • Social media awareness campaign on the week 8 – 14th of October • Workshops and recycling activities with children held in one of the biggest hypermarkets • Promotion of a new interactive platform on www.reciclamimpreuna.ro |
| RoRec |
Romania
|
* Information and education campaign with the schools participating in the Recycling Patrol Program * Local public awareness campaigns in cooperation with local authorities |
| ASEKOL SK |
Slovakia
|
* social and online media campaign * school information campaign * educational public event in Bratislava * informative newsletter for partners (producers, collectors, distributors..) |
| ZEOS |
Slovenia
|
* Between 8-24 October 2018 a local campaign on the proper handling of electrical and electronic equipment focused on: * involved shareholders: local public waste management services, municipalities, e-waste collectors, local media, schools (15-20 schools or 10.000 children), NGOs, households (40.000). * together with Gorenje Surovina d.o.o. and media support from Radio City |
| Ecotic |
Spain
|
* General communication activities |
| SENS |
Switzerland
|
* comic book for primary schools * Social media campaign with a challenge for an eBike * Influencer campaign |
| SWICO |
Switzerland
|
* social media photo contest |
| REPIC |
United Kingdom
|
* publication of survey results about consumers' motivation for WEEE recycling/reuse |
| External organisations | ||
| United Nations Environment Management Group and World Economic Forum |
 |
* Communication actvities * Promotion of 2 videos about e-waste issue |
| International Finance Corporation (IFC) |
 |
Conference: E-waste management: Yesterday, today and tomorrow 13th October 2018, 10:00-13:00, New Delhi (more info to follow) |
| Public Relations Council of India |
|
* nationwide awareness drive through social and online media - #CheckEwasteMonster * seminar on handling e-waste in Navi Mumbai - with Rotary, Navi Mumbai First trust, Municipal Corporation |
| ZEOS Bosnia and Herzegovina |
 |
* awareness campaign in primary schools in three cantons in our country * Doors Open Days at the collector * quiz of knowledge about e-waste for children |
| Greeneletron |
 |
*Workshop about WEEE collection activities of Greeneletron linked with WEEE collection on the spot |
| California Electronics Recycler |
 |
* E-Waste Recycling event in Beverly Hills California on October 12, 2018 at the US Bank building sponsored by CBRE * E-Waste Recycling event on October 24th at Greenlaw Partners in Tustin, California *E-Waste Recycling event on Halloween October 31st at Ziggurat Federal Building housing The Department of Homeland Security, GSA, Internal Revenue Service and other important Federal agencies. E-waste collection the thousands of government employees and their stakeholders. |
| Impact Recyclers |
|
Communication activities |
| Teton Valley Community Recycling |
|
* local e-waste education campaign * Free E-Waste Recycling Collection at the Teton County, Idaho Transfer Station on 13th Oct. |
| Closing the Loop |
 |
* First container filled with scrap phones shipped out of Cameroon for propoer recycling. * Communication activities |
| Recycle Bangladesh |
 |
* social media campaign * education campaign ficused on universities * e-waste collections |
| Avfall Sverige |
 |
* campaign on invisible waste |
| TCO Development |
|
* Communication activities |
| MRI E-cycle Solutions |
 |
* free e-waste collection for any business located in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra. More info here. |
| Green Technology Recycling |
|
* Communication activities |
| Red Verde |
 |
* communication activities * collection week in Colombian States |
| EcoCómputo |
|
* Communication activities |
| EWIK |
 |
* an event on 13th Oct, including a clean up, market tour, showcasing of our products, tree planting and guest speakers (awareness creation) |
| Recicla Electrónicos México |
 |
* interviews with the city local media, * communication and social media activities |
| EERA |
 |
* Communication activities |
| WEEELABEX |
|
* Communication activities |
| Euric |
|
* Communication activities |
| CRM Recovery project |
|
* Launch of 5 policy recommendations coming out of the project |
