ElektroG: Communication campaigns to increase the quota of waste electrical and electronic equipment collected
Increasing collection rate to 65%
The quota set by the European Union (45%) for the collection of WEEE was reached by Germany in 2017. For the first time, more than two million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment were placed on the market, while at the same time almost one million tonnes were taken back again.
From this year onwards, the EU is calling for the collection rate to be increased to at least 65%. To achieve this target, it will be necessary to collect substantially more large household appliances, such as refrigerators and washing machines. The Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) are currently working on a revision of Germany’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG). According to the BMU, this should also “include measures leading to a more tight-meshed collection network in order to collect more waste electrical and electronic equipment. This also means providing better information for consumers and getting all stakeholders more involved.”
Communication measures for increasing the collection rate
One initiative to achieve extensive consumer communication was the project G2. Although this has in the meantime come to an end, the G2 Information Platform continues to be maintained. You can order printable materials (posters, flyers etc.) there free of charge via the project office.
Stiftung EAR is also planning a nationwide PR campaign starting from the end of 2019/beginning of 2020, whose aim is to increase awareness of the issue of recycling e-waste, particularly among consumers, and to motivate them to make sure such waste is disposed of correctly, so that in the long term the collection rate in Germany can be increased.
For this reason, International E-Waste Day is being held for the second time running on 14th October, to increase awareness of e-waste recycling.
