Also this year the technological gifts will be among the most desired at Christmas. However, in order to avoid accumulating old appliances at home or disposing of them incorrectly, the Ecolamp and Remedia consortia have issued press releases to remind the three main ways for the correct WEEE disposal: at the ecological islands or through the retailers with the “1 to 1” and “1 to 0” services. During 2018, the activities of the consortia were intense and important for the correct WEEE management. Ecolamp, in the first six months of 2018, has collected over 1600 tons of WEEE throughout the Italian territory. 77% of this waste derives from the collection made by citizens who went to the ecological islands served by the consortium. In addition, to find the nearest collection centers, Ecolamp has made available to consumers an interactive map on its website and the JunkerApp.
As regards to Remedia, the consortium estimates for 2018 a collection of almost 17,000 tons of small electrical appliances, guaranteeing a saving of 22,100 tons of CO2eq, avoided thanks to the recovery of materials and energy, corresponding to the stop of 6,800 cars that travel 20,000 km a year. Through the recovery of materials and energy there is also a saving of materials of almost 30,000 tons. Today Remedia guarantees the recycling of the technological waste of more than 3,000 municipal collection centers and, thanks also to the collaboration with the main trade associations such as AIRES Confcommercio and ANCRA, is committed to supporting the retailers in order to increase the collection of small WEEE.
The recovery of materials through the correct treatment of WEEE is important for the circular economy. In 2017 Ecolamp recovered more than 96% of the materials deriving from the spent light bulbs collected and over 92% for the other treated WEEE. “Like all electrical and electronic equipment – explains in turn Fabrizia Gasperini, communication manager of Remedia – even small appliances arrived at the end of their life can be an important resource, if managed correctly. From these devices, materials such as iron and aluminum, glass and plastic can be recovered, ready to be reused to create new objects in step with the changes in technology. For example, a mobile phone contains about 60 different materials. In particular, 250 mg of silver, 24 mg of gold, 9 mg of palladium and 9.000 mg of copper, to which are added about 3.5 mg of cobalt contained in a lithium ion battery”.
