Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2015-02-27 10:58
For the fourth year running, businesses, residents, schools and colleges in Cambridge are being urged to recycle their broken or unwanted electronics at a two-day event at University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Site Car Park, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DD.
The convenience of this local event has proved popular with students, local residents and University departments. Local businesses, especially small businesses, which may not have regular Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collections, are also keen to take part in this free recycling event.
The recycling event takes place on Wednesday 11 March, from 7.30 am to 5 pm , and on Thursday 12 March, from 7.30 am to 3.30 pm. All types of business and household electronic waste will be accepted for free and staff will be on hand to help with unloading.
As an added incentive, ERP, the company which recycles the WEEE, is launching a special online recycling competition and anyone who participates could win £250 worth of vouchers from a local bicycle store. More details will follow on Twitter @erp_uk or Facebook/erpuk.
The event is being hosted by Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID), Cambridge City Council, European Recycling Platform (ERP), and the University of Cambridge as part of a drive to increase the amount of e-waste that is recycled. The previous three events have already recycled over 75 tonnes of electronic waste and event organisers are hoping to get this total as close as possible to 100 tonnes this year.
Electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Over 1.4 million tonnes of electronic goods were sold in 2013, but less than 500,000 tonnes of e-waste were recycled. The materials used to make electronic goods are valuable and can be used to make new products. All e-waste collected at the event will be sorted and treated within the UK.
KEY FACTS ON E-WASTE
- Electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK.
- Around 1.4 million tonnes of electronic goods were sold in 2013, about 23 kg per person.
- In 2013, about 490,000 tonnes of e-waste was collected and recycled, around 34% by weight of the EEE sold.
- The rest ended up in landfill or is still in people’s homes.
- On average, each person in the UK recycled just under 8 kg of ewaste in 2013.