CAT Ltd

eWaste

sambo — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:08:47 +0000

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, E-waste is now the fastest growing part of the municipal waste stream. It was estimated that between 2003 and 2010, more than three billion consumer electronic devices would be discarded.

In the U.S., global consumer electronics makers continue to ramp up efforts to recycle more e-waste. As an example, Samsung Electronics America Inc. has recycled 12 million pounds of e-waste in 2009. Still, more effort is needed.

Incorporating responsible recycling practices into your business is one more step in building business sustainability. A sustainable business strategy is to begin with the end in mind. Consider sustainable purchasing which addresses environmental and social factors, as well as the total costs associated with each purchase. It means looking at what products are made of, where they come from, how they were made and how they will be disposed.

WEEE Forum members collected more than 2m tonnes of WEEE

sambo — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:28:05 +0000

The 39 European producer responsibility organisations represented in the WEEE Forum collected and properly treated and reported more than 2m tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the year 2009.

The umbrella organisation, which announced these figures on Monday, reported that this represented a share of almost two thirds of all recorded WEEE collection in Europe. In 2008, the WEEE Forum members collected about 1.5m tonnes of scrap equipment.

West Sussex leads the Way

sambo — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:24:05 +0000

People living in West Sussex have been labelled as “pacesetters” for dramatically reducing the amount of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) going to landfill in comparison with the rest of Britain.

Last year they recycled an average of 11.25kgs of WEEE per person at West Sussex Household Waste Recycling Sites (HWRS), which is almost twice as much as the national average and two pounds more than in 2008.

Derek Whittington, county council cabinet member for strategic planning, said: “Our network of HWRS provides easily accessible and dedicated containers for all unwanted electrical goods, identified with colourful pink signs.

“We are UK pacesetters when it comes to outstanding WEEE recycling. I am sure we will build on this significant success throughout 2010.”

The WEEE directive came into force in January 2007 and aims to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment being produced, and to motivate households to re-use, recycle or refurbish their old goods.

WEEE Poorly Enforced

sambo — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:18:40 +0000

Waste laws, such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive (WEEE) are being poorly implemented and enforced in many European states, according to the EU Commission.

Two reports adopted by the commission suggested that major changes must be made in order to make sure that waste management meets the required standards.

Stavros Dimas, the EUs environment commissioner, said: “We need to manage our waste properly so that we preserve our resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the health of citizens.

“The commission will step up its efforts to assist Member States in better implementation.”

The adopted reports show that targets for reuse, recovery and recycling of WEEE, vehicles and packaging are not being met and that illegal shipments of waste are frequent.

If EU law is adhered to then the potential reductions in greenhouse gas measure 30 per cent, so by missing out on targets member states are leaving behind an environmental cost.

Earlier this week residents in West Sussex were praised for recycling almost twice as much WEEE as the rest of Britain.