The remains of old electrical and electronic appliances keep piling up. They're bad for health and waste resources. EU recycling efforts vary widely, but new laws aim to confront the challenge. It's become a pressing issue - electronic and electric waste, from any appliance, any device with a cord and a plug or which runs on batteries. The waste's bad for health and for the environment. Not only that, these products use up precious and rare mineral resources. With the communication revolution, more mobiles and computers are being bought. Household appliances too. Most of it can be recycled. In response, the EU has updated regulations from 2002 on the collection, treatment and recovery of this waste. On average, 4 kg of electrical waste is collected from every European each year. Under the new laws, the weight would rise to 20 kg by the end of the decade. For that to happen, more appliances must be collected. Right now, only one in three devices is picked up and treated correctly. Efforts vary widely from nation to nation. But in future all countries must try to collect 85% of all goods containing electrical and electronic waste, and recycle at least half of it. This is not only a problem in Europe. Some exporters here label equipment as 'used but functioning'. It's easy to ship abroad illegally to places like Asia and Africa where treatment rules are not so tough. More than 70% goes outside Europe, to Africa, to India, to China. They have a much worse recycling system. They recycle up to 18 or 20% and in some European countries we recycle up to 90%. This process can certainly be good for a foreign economy, because there's money in e-waste and jobs to be found treating it. Appliances contain gold, silver and copper, making waste a valuable resource. But they're made of dangerous materials like lead and cadmium. Dumped in landfill, they can contaminate groundwater. Exposure can retard the development of children. In an effort to crack down, the EU decided to force exporters to prove that they're sending equipment abroad for re-use, not just to get rid of it. The laws also put the onus onto stores and dealers, obliging them to take back appliances at the end of their life. Customers must also be able to see how much of the price goes toward recycling, like the Recupel contribution here in Belgium. Prices may rise, but the aim is to save in the future by putting resources back into circulation. It will be cheaper when we re-use instead of buying from other parts of the world. Sometimes you can't find enough rare earth metals or rare earth minerals. Now we will actually produce it ourselves in our homes. In the end, whatever the law, it's the consumer who plays the key role by choosing what products to buy and whether to recycle them. And it's the consumer, rather than the taxpayer, who will bear the costs. With these laws, EU nations are under pressure to provide the right facilities for recycling and to educate their publics about what to do with old electrical and electronic appliances.
EuroparlTV video ID: 99376b41-9f42-4ba9-be6c-9ff60137ddf3
