The UK government’s annual Greening Government ICT report showed that well over 50% of e-waste that has been created by local government authorities is being reused. As the report indicates, out of 2.3 million kilograms of electronic waste created by departments, 1.25 million kilograms have been successfully reused or given to charity. Furthermore, over 45% of the waste was successfully recycled and recovered, leaving 36000 kilograms of electronic waste, by volume, on the landfill.
The report communicates that the strategy set out in 2020 – to have zero landfills by 2025 – is well on track, based on the data collected so far.
British Metal Recycling Association (BMRA) stated that households should be banned from disposing electrical equipment, devices, and lithium-ion batteries in roadside collection bins. The warning from the Association came just a few days after several fires sparked, as assumed, due to poorly disposed batteries.
It is proposed that local governments introduce separate curbside collection sites, so all e-waste can be properly handled and disposed by professionals, completely removing domestic households from the equation in recycling batteries.
As the officials from BMRA suggested, the matter is becoming urgent, as the data collected from the Environmental Services Association found that lithium-ion batteries are responsible for almost 50% of all waste fires that occur in the UK each year.
