Submitted by Claire Hopkins on Thu, 2015-04-02 15:39
The annual e-waste recycling event in Cambridge had a feel-good atmosphere as local residents, businesses, colleges and students came out in force to recycle their broken or unwanted electrical items. A total of 20.24 tonnes of e-waste was collected for recycling at the two-day event on the 11th and 12th of March 2015, which was held at the University of Cambridge’s Sidgwick Site. The event is organised to raise awareness of the need to recycle electronic equipment.
Co-hosted by the University is association Cambridge City Council, European Recycling Platform (ERP) and Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID), the four partners work hard to promote the annual initiative and, to date, our four “spring clean” events have amassed nearly 100 tonnes of broken or unwanted electronics!
All items will be treated in the UK to recover the metals and plastics which they contain, and the recovered materials will be sent on to manufacturers and used to make new products.
If you have some e-waste to dispose of, but missed the event, never fear – the University’s regular WEE collections are available all year around as a free service for all departments. For full details, see http://www.environment.admin.cam.ac.uk/what-are-we-doing/recycling-and-waste/electrical-and-electronic-waste-weee.
Key facts about 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.