Environment Foundation calls for the return of unused electrical appliances
To mark the seventh International E-Waste Day on Monday, the Sens eRecycling Foundation has called for the return of unused electrical appliances. Small appliances in particular, such as cables or plugs, are often hoarded in this country instead of being recycled.
14.10.2024, 10:43
SDA
According to the foundation, disused or defective devices can be returned free of charge to stores that sell similar devices, for example. Devices that are defective or no longer needed do not always have to be disposed of. It often makes more ecological sense to repair the broken parts or to pass on devices that are barely used.
Electronic devices contain many recyclable materials. If the devices - no matter how small - are stored unused in boxes and cupboards around the world, resources have to be extracted elsewhere in order to meet the increasing demand for new electrical appliances. This harms the environment and consumes enormous amounts of energy and CO2.
On average, 15 percent of a total of 74 unused electrical appliances are kept in a European household, according to the foundation. Sens eRecycling also verified these figures for Switzerland in the spring of this year on the basis of random samples. This is despite Switzerland's reputation as the "recycling world champion", where high standards for the recycling of electrical appliances apply compared to other European countries.
According to the Foundation and the Swiss Digital Industry Association (Swico), the amount of electrical and electronic equipment processed in Switzerland rose by 9% between 2022 and the previous year. In total, more than 132,000 tons of e-waste were processed. The amount of electronic devices collected also increased compared to 2022 - by as much as 13% and despite the downward trend of recent years. The reason for this is the trend towards ever smaller electronic devices, known as miniaturization.
International E-Waste Day on October 14 is an annual global awareness campaign initiated by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum (WEEE).
