Covid has not stopped the activity of the Italian consortium Ecolamp, which in 2020 collected and treated 3,446 tons of WEEE. 47% of these WEEE are exhausted light sources (R5) while 53% (equal to 1,835 tons) belong to the category of small household appliances, consumer electronics and end-of-life lighting devices (R4), with a recovery rate between material and energy that exceeds 95%. Although there have been numbers in decline during the months of the Covid emergency, there has been a rapid recovery as early as May. The most virtuous Regions in the light sources collection were Lombardy, Veneto and Lazio, while among the provinces the first place went to Milan, followed by Rome and Bergamo. “The decrease in the Ecolamp collection, recorded in the first months of the year due to the pandemic, did not significantly affect the overall collection. The strong recovery recorded before the summer, in fact, allowed Ecolamp to close 2020 in line with last year’s numbers – said Fabrizio D’Amico, General Director of Ecolamp -. For 2021 we expect that the restrictions for the pandemic containment will not excessively affect the WEEE collection, also fueled by the constant increase in sales of electrical and electronic products. We also hope that the growing sensitivity towards good practices in environmental protection and in support of a more circular and sustainable economy will lead to an increase in the number of those who dispose of this waste correctly”.
