Our colleagues, Ian Harvey and Lewis Horne, travelled to London last month to attend the WEEE conference, an exciting event which brought together industry professionals to explore the opportunities and challenges currently impacting the world of e-scrap. 

In case you missed it, here are our 5 key takeaways from the day…

The value of shared insights

Held at the Wellcome Trust in London, Euston, this one day event reminded us just how important it is for people in our industry to unite in one space, and share experiences and insights on topics relating to WEEE, sustainability and recycling. 

It’s incredibly useful to hear different perspectives  — particularly in fast-paced and complex sectors such as this — and this conference offered the ideal opportunity for learning, through a series of carefully curated presentations, Q&A sessions and panel debates. There was an impressive line-up of voice too, with the DEFRA, various business leaders and local council representatives, all present.

The benefits of recovering WEEE

A key takeaway from this event was just how many benefits there are, when it comes to recovering WEEE. 

Whilst we all (hopefully!) know that the responsible reuse and recycling of e-scrap is important from a sustainability point of view, it was interesting to hear about the financial advantages of WEEE processing. We certainly have a job to do, in our industry, to ensure others realise just how much wealth there is ‘locked’ within this waste stream, and how quickly operators can achieve a payback on their recycling investments.

The value of the 2007 WEEE Directive was also highlighted — a major catalyst for change. Did you know, for example, that a remarkable 9 million tonnes have since been processed for recycling?!

The need for better recycling methods

However, whilst significant progress has been made, the conference was also a reminder that we still have a long way to go, and that better recycling methods and regulation are needed to drive real, sustainable progress. 

The Government is aware that the UK is collectively missing its WEEE recycling targets, and this is reflected in widely-published statistics. Far too many WEEE items are still being disposed of in normal household waste bins, where it’s estimated that 50,000 tonnes of valuable materials are discarded each year.

Steps are being taken to address this — for example, through Producer Compliance Schemes — which are in place to ensure that WEEE producers comply with current regulations. But more momentum is needed. 

It must be noted that the UK is not alone in this respect. WEEE remains one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world, therefore ongoing change is required on a truly global level. 

The danger of vapes

Vapes aren’t just bad for your health — they are incredibly damaging to the environment, too!

This event revealed that when it comes to WEEE ending up in the wrong place, vapes are the biggest threat —  and the figures are frightening. Apparently, 36,000 vapes equate to the same weight as 14 washing machines — but whilst the latter are likely to be recycled, the former are simply disposed of in general waste bins. 

This highlights the urgent need for our industry to take this growing market more seriously and implement initiatives for their proper disposal — especially when it’s estimated that 1.3 million used vapes are thrown away each week in the UK. 

AO — leading the way to a circular economy 

It’s always interesting to see how companies are engaging with sustainability, so it was fantastic to hear from AO.com, where John Sant gave a great presentation on the organisation’s latest initiative. 

If a customer purchases a large white good from AO.com, the company will take away their old appliance. The brand has since added to this initiative too, enabling customers to now list other items of WEEE for collection, even if they only buy a single product from the website. This shows the strength of AO.com’s commitment to the compliant handling of WEEE, ensuring redundant items are properly processed and the valuable materials within this ‘waste’ stream remain part of the circular economy. 

Want to know more about the day? Discover the 2023 agenda, here. Or, if you’re keen to understand how you can process this waste stream, why not view our series of WEEE shredders, or get in touch with our team.