The short film aims to get the “Don’t bin it” message across to school children. It stars a 13-year-old girl following the journey of her broken hair straighteners to a recycling plant.
ERP says it has recycled one million tonnes of WEEE across Europe. It adds that only 20 percent of small electricals are currently recycled compared to 93 percent of fridges. “The remaining 80 percent is not necessarily binned – much of it is lurking in drawers and cupboards in homes,” said ERP.
It added: “Electrical waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world and young people are particularly heavy on gadget use. Anything with a battery or plug on it can be recycled and the recycled materials can be used to make new products.”
Scott Butler, general manager of ERP: “With Christmas coming up, what better time to be a clutter-buster and Feng Shui the WEEE? The materials in electronic goods are valuable – eight tonnes of gold, 65 tonnes of silver and 40,000 tonnes of copper have been recovered from the million tonnes of WEEE recycled by ERP.
“These can be used to make new products and presents: all those gadgets, toys and toothbrushes don’t necessarily have to cost the earth.”
ERP is the only pan-European compliance scheme set up in 2002 by Electrolux, HP, Procter & Gamble and Sony. The organization was set up in response to the introduction of the European Union’s WEEE Directive.
Find out how to recycle your electronic waste from ERP Recycling on Vimeo.