Italian
The Ecolight consortium embraces the theme of World Environment Day: in the fight against plastic pollution, small WEEE such as remote controls, hairdryers, and chargers play an important role as they are composed of about 50% plastic material.
They are small, silent, often forgotten in drawers or abandoned at the bottom of a piece of furniture. Yet, they conceal a surprising amount of plastic. We are talking about remote controls, hairdryers, and chargers: common objects with a “plasticized” core that, if not properly managed, end up becoming an environmental problem in terms of pollution and missed opportunities for recycling.
On the occasion of the World Environment Day, dedicated this year to plastic pollution, Ecolight, a consortium of the Ecolight System committed to the collection and recycling of WEEE for over twenty years, launches an appeal: “We must start thinking about our electronic devices not just as simple objects, but as potential resources that we can give back to the planet,” says Giancarlo Dezio, General Manager of Ecolight. “Electronic items such as remote controls, hairdryers, and chargers are a ‘mine’ of plastic. Managing these electronic waste correctly means giving the plastic contained in these WEEE a new life through recycling.”
An invisible plastic that exists
According to recent estimates from the consortium, each Italian family may unknowingly harbor about 3 kg of “ghost” plastic in small household appliances. Of these items, less than 1 out of 5 is properly managed.
Ecolight has identified three everyday products that we all own to analyze the amount of plastic they contain:
- The remote control – small, handy, omnipresent. From the couch to the bedroom, it is the king of lost objects between the cushions. But did you know that a remote control can contain up to 85% of its weight in plastic? When it stops working or is replaced, it often ends up forgotten in a drawer. And with it, also the plastic that could be recovered. Important: batteries should always be removed and disposed of properly.
- Hairdryer – we use it almost every day, but we rarely consider its composition. On average, a hairdryer can contain up to 500 grams of plastic, including the housing, handle, and protective grill. Yet, at the end of its useful life, many people dispose of it in the mixed waste, losing precious materials and generating an invisible but significant environmental impact.
- The battery charger – often forgotten when changing phones or accumulated in excess, contains significant amounts of plastic, up to 75% of its total weight, between coatings and components. Despite this, it is rarely treated as electronic waste, instead too often ending up in general waste.
Some other numbers: the Ecolight consortium estimated some WEEE belonging to category R4 (small appliances and consumer electronics).
Solutions
The first step is to recognize WEEE: when an electrical or electronic device stops working, it must be disposed of correctly. The second step is to put it in the right place: it should not be hidden in a drawer or thrown in with the unsorted waste. It must be taken to a municipal collection center or to a store that sells electronic equipment. There is in fact the right to “one-on-one” collection, which allows for the free return of the old product when purchasing a new one of equivalent functionality, but also the “one-against-zero” collection which applies to small appliances up to 25 cm, without the obligation to make a purchase.
“Only through these simple measures can we prevent valuable plastic from being wasted, and concretely contribute to a more sustainable supply chain,” the general manager concludes.
