The UK is sitting on a mountain of WEEE, according to a new survey by Dell. It asked 5000 people across Europe what they do with their old electronics, and only half of consumers in Britain recycle them properly.
Once more, it is our old nemesis, Germany, that can hold its head up proudly, with four out of five responsible Germans recycling old gadgets.
In awareness levels of manufacturers' recycling schemes and government initiatives such as the WEEE Directive, the British are also the least aware of initiatives and legislation compared to consumers in Germany, Italy, France and Spain.
Bottom of the high-tech recycling league
In fact, when it comes to understanding the importance of correct technology recycling, UK consumers claim to be more influenced by the media (hey! That's us! Go recycle stuff!) than by government legislation.
There are also pronounced regional differences within the UK. Sixty per cent of respondents in Yorkshire and the Humber had never heard of the WEEE directive, while in the North East, nearly three quarters claim they do everything they can to recycle – except that less than one percent recycles electronics.
In the capital, it's the opposite story, with nearly one in twenty Londoners claiming that they recycle more electronics than other form of waste (four times the national average).
There is one glimmer of hope, while the British are less informed about the correct procedures for electronics recycling, show little interest in recycling initiatives and are generally ignornant of relevant legislation, the level of British consumers who claim to regularly recycle paper, plastics and glass is actually higher than the European average.
Your comments (3) Click to add a new comment
simonluijk
May 25th 2009
3. So this article is pointing out that we don't know how to recycle gadgets. It's a shame that it didn't go one step further and enlighten.
As far as I am aware the manufactures are responsible for recycling their gadgets. You would have to contact the manufacture and then post the gadget to them at your expense.
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mpeskett
May 23rd 2009
2. It's unfortunate that recycling paper/plastic consumes more energy and resources than using new material. On the other hand, recycling metal and probably electronics too (I'm not certain, but it seems likely), does make all kinds of sense.
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jmace86
May 22nd 2009
1. I know all about recycling old electronics except for how I am actually supposed to do it!
There is basically no advertisement for how or where to recycle old electronics. I have never once seen a poster, a TV commercial, a pamphlet nor heard a radio advert telling me about the recycling of electronics.
I know full well that they are not supposed to be simply thrown in with ordinary rubbish, so I have a huge pile of old junk sitting around my house waiting for someone to tell me how I am supposed to rid myself of it.
I am sure that I could probably search the internet and most likely track down a local recycling scheme for my area, but why should I have to do that when it is so easy for me to recycle other things such as paper and glass?!
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