Five Point Plan to Keep E-Waste out of Landfill : London Event Sees Report on Critical Raw Material Recycling

Delegates from across Europe came together in London today to celebrate the success of the EU Life-funded Critical Raw Material Closed Loop Recovery (CRM Recovery) project and launch the project’s Layman’s Report.

The report sets out five policy recommendations to increase the recovery of target critical raw materials:

Redesign and harmonise waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collection infrastructure

Increase awareness amongst citizens and businesses

Create incentives for collection and recycling organisations

Continue innovation and research on CRM recovery and foster international collaboration

Introduce CRM-specific requirements into standards.

The report also found that having more information available about where to take old equipment, convenience, altruism, trust and a human connection are also important factors in encouraging more people to recycle or re-use electronic or electrical equipment.

Its publication marks the culmination of the 42 month, €2.1 million project, which aims to increase the percentage of Critical Raw Materials that are recovered across the EU.

The project received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union, and is supported by Innovate UK, the Welsh Government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and led by WRAP.

Partners include the European Recycling Platform (ERP), the European Advanced Recycling Network (EARN), the Wuppertal Institute and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN).

Carl Nichols, Head of WRAP Cymru, commented: “For both economic and environmental reasons, we must address the high risk associated with the supply of critical raw materials, which is of growing concern to businesses and governments. This project has provided important insights that will help to achieve this.

“The Layman’s Report provides clear policy and infrastructure recommendations to optimise waste electrical and electronic equipment collections and maximise critical raw material recovery. I am excited about the profound impact their implementation could have on the electronics industry and the wider economy, both here in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.”

For more on e-waste and CRMs don’t miss the WMW’s March/April print edition. Subscribe HERE

Read More

Legally Binding Quality Standards for E-Waste Recycling Called For in EU

WEEE Forum has urged the next EU Commission to deliver legally binding quality standards for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

U.S. Government Report into 23 Critical Metals & Minerals

A report by the U.S. Government has listing 23 metals and minerals that are critical to “the national economy and national security of the United States.”

DoE Launches US’s First Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling R&D Center

To further its goal of moving toward closed-loop recycling for lithium-ion batteries, the U.S. Department of Energy has launched a research center, ReCell, at the Argonne National Laboratory.