Where does electrical waste go?

Why is managing electrical waste such a big issue?

Why is managing electrical waste such a big issue?

Our lives are consumed by electrical equipment. Consider the number of tasks you carry out each day and how many of these require the use of electrical or battery operated machines….ironing, cooking, making tea, sending e-mails, printing, photocopying, listening to music, watching TV…the list is endless!

The problem is that electrical equipment is becoming easier and cheaper to replace and innovation means we are continuously enticed by better performing, state-of-the art products. In fact we discard around 1.8 million tones of electrical equipment each year. Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, often referred to as WEEE, is a complicated waste stream comprising of many different product types, each composed of a complex array of materials and substances including plastics, ceramics, precious metals, glass, bromine, arsenic, mercury and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC’s).

In conjunction with electronic waste, we also face the hazard of battery disposal. Research conducted by Wrap shows that the average household uses 21 batteries a year, and that around 600m UK batteries (22,000 tonnes) are sent to landfill annually: the equivalent weight of 110 jumbo jets!

As with the majority of WEEE, the disposal of batteries to landfill can and should be avoided through the use of recycling. Recent EU legislation on WEEE and batteries has already had a positive effect on creating more infrastructure and changing people’s behavior with respect to using and discarding Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE).

A large proportion of the substances and materials derived from WEEE are toxic, and therefore need to be treated as hazardous waste. For example, fluorescent lighting contains potentially harmful substances such as highly toxic heavy metals, in particular mercury, cadmium and lead. In the case of batteries, whilst the exact chemical make-up varies from type to type (see below), most batteries contain heavy metals such as cadmium, which have the potential of leaking into the ground when the battery casing corrodes.

In addition to this, the vast majority of EEE is composed of large items such as refrigerators and washing machines. In fact, approximately 43% of all electronic waste is composed of white goods; this is shortly followed by IT equipment, which adds a further 39% of the UK total. With the amount of land available for landfill in the UK rapidly diminishing, it is becoming more and more urgent to reduce the amount of waste that is disposed of in this way.

How successful has legislation been in promoting recycling?

The WEEE Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) came into force in January 2007 with subsequent amendments in 2008. The aim of these regulations is to work alongside a related (RoHS), to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment. Importers, rebranders and manufacturers of EEE must now ensure that their products are manufactured and labelled in compliance with the regulations. They are also responsible for financing the costs of treating and recovering the types of products they import, rebrand or manufacture (Link to Directives Timeline). All those who are involved during the lifecycle of EEE, including distributors, sellers and users, will each have their own obligations to ensure it is responsibly managed at the end of life. For example, equipment distributors and retailers are required to provide information to customers on the environmental impacts of EEE and WEEE; the reasons for separating WEEE from other waste and how they can safely dispose of WEEE for proper treatment and recycling free of charge.

The WEEE regulations, through defining roles and accountability, has increased awareness of the hazards associated with EEE and its subsequent disposal. The regulations have also encouraged investment in the infrastructure required to responsibly manage WEEE. Both businesses and households should find it easier now to recycle their EEE through a mixture of improved local authority civic amenity sites and new take-back facilities provided by retailers. All these measures have gone a long way to ensure that less of this waste is sent to landfill.

Currently only 2.3% of batteries are collected for recycling, despite the fact it is now possible to recycle almost all types. The EU batteries Directive (Link to Directives Timeline), due to be implemented in the UK shortly, requires that 25% by weight of portable (household) batteries placed on the market each year are collected for recycling by 2012, rising to 45% in 2016. The new regulations demand that as of January 2010, battery producers who place more than one tonne of portable batteries on the market per year will be liable for the cost of collecting, treating and recycling of batteries. Furthermore, vendors who sell 32kg or more of household batteries will be obligated (as of February 2010) to take back these batteries in-store, free of charge, when they become waste.

The recycling of automotive batteries is more established, with a recycling rate of 90%. Commonly used collection points include garages, scrap metal facilities and many civic amenity and recycling centers. As of 1 January 2010, however, the new regulations will ban the disposal of waste industrial and automotive batteries by landfill or by incineration altogether.

Wrap has recently conducted a series of trials to gain understanding of the most cost efficient and effective ways to collect portable batteries in line with these new targets. The findings reveal that a mixture of collection points will be needed. Although local authorities are not in any way obligated under the Batteries Directive to participate in or finance battery collection schemes, they should be encouraged to collect batteries through, for example kerbside collection schemes, as these types of scheme have proved to be most effective. In fact it is noted that nine out of ten people would recycle batteries if there was a door-to-door battery collection scheme in their area.

As it is the responsibility of the producer to bear the cost associated with battery disposal, mechanisms will need to be established which reimburse local authorities for their additional costs. Retail take-back schemes are also now available at some retail outlets and provide another effective way of collecting batteries from users.

What can I do as a user?

Think before you buy: When buying new electronic or electrical items, choose ones which are durable, and which can be upgraded in future rather than replaced. Items such as printer cartridges can be easily refilled, which is far more economical than buying a new one and eliminates the environmental impact associated with the manufacture and disposal of the cartridge.

Buying rechargeable batteries and a battery charger can save energy In fact; the energy needed to manufacture a battery is on average 50 times greater than the energy it gives out.

When buying new electronic or electrical items, choose ones which are durable, and which can be upgraded in future rather than replaced. Items such as printer cartridges can be easily refilled, which is far more economical than buying a new one and eliminates the environmental impact associated with the manufacture and disposal of the cartridge. Buying rechargeable batteries and a battery charger can save energy In fact; the energy needed to manufacture a battery is on average 50 times greater than the energy it gives out.

Think repair, refill, reuse: Most broken EEE can be repaired: consider this option before deciding to discard it. If you wish to replace obsolete equipment, think before you discard the old item whether it could be useful to someone else. Many schemes have been established such as Freecycle: http://uk.freecycle.org/ that enable people to easily donate and swap items they no longer need.

Most broken EEE can be repaired: consider this option before deciding to discard it. If you wish to replace obsolete equipment, think before you discard the old item whether it could be useful to someone else. Many schemes have been established such as Freecycle: uk.freecycle.org that enable people to easily donate and swap items they no longer need.

As a last resort, think recycle: Small items may be taken to your local civic amenity site where it can be added to the scrap for recycling. Take-back facilities can be found in most retail outlets for batteries, so there really is no excuse for disposing them with your household waste! If you have bulky items to be discarded, you can arrange for their collection with your council.

Small items may be taken to your local civic amenity site where it can be added to the scrap for recycling. Take-back facilities can be found in most retail outlets for batteries, so there really is no excuse for disposing them with your household waste! If you have bulky items to be discarded, you can arrange for their collection with your council.

Conclusion

WEEE and batteries are the fastest growing waste stream and possibly the most complex to manage. It is therefore essential that continuous efforts are made by manufacturers, local authorities, distributors, vendors and users to ensure that EEE is discarded in the right way at the end of life.

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[1] Netregs website

[1] Wrap website

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