In 2021, an increase in volumes of over 27%
Small electronic waste, collection is proximity. Almost 20 tons of smartphones, small appliances and energy-saving light bulbs were given in 2021 to the 33 EcoIsole Raee of the Ecolight consortium. With a growth of over 27% compared to the previous year.
Developed by Ecolight, the national consortium for the management of WEEE, exhausted batteries and accumulators, since 2015 the EcoIsole want to encourage a nearby collection of waste from small electrical and electronic equipment. They are in fact positioned in correspondence with large sales outlets, shopping centers and places of public interest, so as to ensure correct management of electronic waste and, at the same time, to the large-scale retail trade to be able to fulfill the obligations established by the One against Zero.
Managed by Ecolight Servizi, a company wholly owned by the Consortium, the EcoIsole Raee represent an important action to increase the collection of a type of waste that often escapes the correct supply chains. “We are talking about small household appliances, consumer electronics and fluorescent and energy saving light bulbs, identified with the WEEE R4 and R5 groups, which are difficult to intercept and which mainly include everyday objects such as mobile phones, remote controls, mice, chargers and household utensils, beyond light sources – observe the general manager of the Ecolight consortium, Giancarlo Dezio – It is estimated that only one in five follows a correct management path. The remainder often remains in the houses, at the bottom of a drawer or in the cellar, if not, it even follows irregular channels. The importance of this waste is in their high recovery potential: they are in fact recyclable for over 90% of their weight, thus being able to make an important contribution to the circular economy “.
Over 25 thousand people used the EcoIslands in the twelve months, thus allowing the collection of almost 800 kg of fluorescent and energy-saving light bulbs and over 19 tons of small appliances. Their territorial presence is mainly in Lombardy, where among the 18 models in operation, there are the eight EcoIsole Raee activated near the municipalities of Milan. Some containers are also present in Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany and Marche.
“The peculiarity of our EcoIsole Weee is their automatism: they open upon registration with the health card and are accompanied by a control system that alerts operators in case of need to empty”, explains Dezio.
Fruit of the Identis Weee community project, which led to the study of new methods of collecting WEEE, they combine innovation, technology and involvement, responding to the requirements of the One against Zero which obliges large electronics stores to collect small electronic waste free of charge. (up to 25 cm). EcoIsole are small size bins (1.5×1.2×1.5 meters) which can find a place within the sales structures or in the immediate vicinity.
Source-www.adnkronos.com