Electronic waste is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream – and Danes have the third-highest consumption of electronics globally.
According to the latest UN General E-Waste Monitor, 62 billion kg of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2022. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 82 billion kg of e-waste.
Electronic waste is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream – and Danes have the third-highest consumption of electronics globally.
According to the latest UN General E-Waste Monitor, 62 billion kg of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2022. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to 82 billion kg of e-waste.
At the same time, the amount of electronic waste is growing five times faster than the amount of electronics that are reused and/or recycled.
Better management of e-waste is crucial for several reasons:
The good news is that there is great potential for reusing and recycling electronics. All it takes is for old e-waste to be collected so it can be handled properly.
This very task is highlighted every year on October 14th for International E-Waste Day (IEWD).
According to the UN, 62 billion kg of electronic waste was generated globally in 2022.
This is equivalent to 1.55 million trucks filled with e-waste — enough to circle the Earth’s equator.
In comparison, only 22.3% of the global amount has been documented as collected and reused/recycled.
The theme for IEWD 2024 is Retrieve, Recycle & Revive.
This year’s theme focuses on the unused electronic devices that people have stored away in basements, attics, drawers, and cupboards for years.
E-waste includes anything with a plug, cable, or battery.
This can range from wireless vacuum cleaners to toys, computers, and hairdryers, but the most “forgotten” items are small electronic products, such as:
With IEWD 2024: Retrieve, Recycle & Revive, we encourage everyone to use October 14, 2024, to clean out their homes and take all their used electronics to the recycling center.
It’s quite easy, and by doing so, we can collectively help reduce pollution, preserve resources, and save energy and CO2.
A 2024 survey by Danmarks Statistik shows that Danes are a little too good at holding on to old electronics in their drawers.
The 2024 survey on IT use in the population also shows that:
Elretur is Denmark’s oldest Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), and for nearly 20 years, we’ve handled the producer responsibility for electronics.
Today we handle more than 80% of all electronics collected at Danish recycling centers.
In January 2024, we established two unique recycling plants with one goal – to reuse and recycle as much electronics as possible.
In 2023, more than 70,000 tons of washing machines, phones, computers, and other electronics were collected at Danish recycling centers. Almost all materials from these electronics are now being recycled, but before a product is dismantled and recycled, it should be reused in its original form and function for as long as possible.
This task is managed by our two recycling facilities, Electronic Reuse & Recycling A/S and LOOP Electronics, which we’ve established in collaboration with HJHansen and Stena.
These facilities are the first of their kind and will work through Denmark’s many tons of e-waste to identify and separate reusable electronics from the waste stream. These items can then be repaired and returned to the market.
We collaborate with hand-picked repairers who ensure the products are in good working condition. Even though the products are used, they come with a 2-year warranty.
If you’ve handed in electronics with sensitive personal data, like a phone or computer, our partners (repairers) ensure that all data is deleted in compliance with GDPR.
Danes rank third in the world when it comes to the highest consumption of electronics. This, in the context of the fastest-growing type of waste globally.
While many Danes like to hold on to their old electronics at home, we still dispose of 24.8 kg of e-waste per person annually on average. That’s 40% more than the average EU citizen and 210% more than the global average.
By using our electronic products longer, we can reduce production and conserve resources. This helps us preserve rare and valuable metals and minerals found in electronics.
In 2023, the Fraunhofer Institute presented data showing that by reusing mobile phones, laptops, and tablets instead of buying new ones, we can save on average:
That’s why it’s important to change our habits and make our electronics last as long as possible – including recycling old electronics so we can help give them a new life.
This year’s theme highlights the critical raw materials that are central to Europe’s future.
The demand for smartphones, electric vehicles, solar panels, and other advanced technologies is growing rapidly, bringing with it an increased need for rare and valuable raw materials that form the backbone of the green and digital transition.
The EU has therefore launched the Critical Raw Materials Act to ensure that Europe can access these materials in a stable and sustainable way.
The legislation sets ambitious targets that:
at least 10% of Europe’s consumption of critical raw materials by 2030 should come from domestic production,
40% should be processed within the EU,
25% should come from recycling.
To meet these goals, it is crucial to increase the amount of collected electronic waste and to develop and improve the technology for recovering these valuable materials.
Many of the raw materials needed to meet both the EU’s goals and concerns are currently “sleeping” in drawers and cabinets—as old, broken, or unused phones, laptops, chargers, and other electronics.
Therefore, recycling is key to ensuring the material cycle and supporting the circular economy.
Use October 14, 2024, to gather all your old electronics from storage and drop them off at your local recycling center.
Also, remember to tell your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors about the day so we can get used electronics back into the cycle where they can do the most good.
Together with WEEE Forum, Elretur is behind IEWD.
WEEE Forum is the largest global organization focusing on managing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), or e-waste.
Founded in April 2002, WEEE Forum operates as a non-profit association, bringing together 51 Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) worldwide. These organizations are responsible for collecting, handling, recycling, and preparing WEEE for reuse, helping contribute to the circular economy.
Over the years, WEEE Forum members have managed 41.6 million tons of e-waste.
Our extensive expertise and experience cover technical aspects of WEEE collection, logistics, and treatment.
The forum facilitates knowledge sharing, benchmarking, and access to valuable data through platforms and tools, allowing members to optimize their operations. Two-thirds of the members are market leaders in their respective sectors.
Retur er en familie af non-profit kollektive ordninger, der håndterer producentansvaret på elektronik-, batterier-, emballage-, og tekstilprodukter for importører og producenter.
Som medlem i et eller flere af Retur-familiens kollektive ordninger drager I fordel af vores knap 20 års erfaring og omfattende viden indenfor håndtering af producentansvaret.
Vi hjælper jer ikke kun med at håndtere jeres producentansvar i Danmark. Gennem vores ejerskab og medlemskab i Pronexa kan I få hjælp til at få håndteret jeres producentansvar i EU, Norge, Schweiz og UK.
Returs kollektive ordninger er blandt de mest omkostningseffektive i EU, og gennem os er I garanteret legitime affaldsstrømme og pålidelig ESG-data.
Genanvendelse og genbrug er en integreret del af vores organisation og daglige arbejde.
Sammen med medlemmerne i vores kollektive ordninger, Elretur, Emballageretur, Batteriretur og Tekstilretur, arbejder Retur for at løfte så mange materialer som muligt ud af affaldsstrømmen gennem genbrug og genanvendelse.
Vores og medlemmernes indsats bidrager til flere af FN’s verdens mål – særligt nr. 11, 12 og 14.
Elretur / Retur
Skagensgade 39, 2 sal
2630 Taastrup
Danmark
Tlf: +45 33 36 91 98
Mail: retur@retur.dk
Cvr nr: 28835124
Telefontid man.-fre. 9.00-15.00
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