Over 160 organisations celebrated International E-Waste Day
November 14, 2024
160 organisations from 47 countries on six continents officially joined the International E-Waste Day 2024 celebrations and countless more took part by organising diverse awareness raising activities.
According to the latest UN’s Global E-Waste Monitor, in 2022, 62 billion kg of e-waste were generated globally. This means 1.55 million trucks filled with e-waste lined up along the Earth’s equator. The quantity of e-waste is expected to rise to 82 billion kg by 2030. Currently, the amount of e-waste is growing five times faster than formal recycling collection rates since 2010.
To help tackle this global problem, and believing education is part of the answer to the e-waste issue, WEEE Forum and its members held, on 14 October 2023, the seventh edition of the International E-Waste Day. This awareness-raising event, initiated by the WEEE Forum and its members, aims to highlight the importance of the formal and responsible management of e-waste and the solutions available to each citizen within their community. Under the slogan “Retrieve, recycle and revive!”, 160 organisations from 47 countries, spread across six continents, officially registered and developed different kinds of activities to promote the correct treatment of electrical and electronic equipment to enable reuse, refurbishment and recycling. Countless other entities also joined the celebrations marking the day with e-waste collections, news reports and online and other awareness raising campaigns.
The WEEE Forum members, who act as leaders of International E-Waste Day activities in the countries they cover, secured large national media coverage by hosting conferences, e-waste collections, as well as TV and radio appearances and high-level promotion on social media. The international press coverage, including articles by Associated Press, RTE Ireland, Independent, Yahoo!, la Repubblica, Infobae and many other national news wires and influential media news outlets worldwide resulted in an estimated reach of nearly 2 billion people.
The WEEE Forum said that over 1,217 articles appeared in the press covering 60 countries and 19 languages.
Pascal Leroy, Director General of the WEEE Forum, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the campaign, “Seeing such broad participation in International E-Waste Day—from major corporations, authorities, and international organisations to small businesses, schools, universities, NGOs, and other key players in the e-waste sector—demonstrates that collaboration across all levels is achievable. We are optimistic that the momentum and opportunities generated will drive more effective action in addressing the e-waste challenge.”
Categories : Around the Industry
Tags : Activities E-Waste Day Education WEEE WEEE Forum
