UK second worst for e-waste in Europe

Just 36 per cent of Britons know how to dispose of their old electronic goods properly

UK households are producing the second-highest amount of electronic waste (e-waste) in Europe, according to a new study by waste removal firm Clearitwaste.

The study by Clearitwaste used data from the United Nations and the Global E-Waste Statistics Partnership to calculate the average amount of e-waste annually produced by a household in various European countries.

It revealed that Norwegians generate the highest amount of e-waste per household at 57 kg in a single year.

They are followed by British households whic produce around 55 kg of e-waste each year.

Irish households are the third-biggest culprits, with an average of 52.4 kg e-waste generated annually.

Swiss are fourth in the list, with an average of about 51.5 kg of e-waste per household.

The country which produces the least amount of e-waste in Europe is Moldova, where each household generates just 11.6 kg of e-waste on average each year.

Around 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste was produced globally last year, as per data from the United Nations.

Clearitwaste also surveyed 1,622 Britons to understand what they think about e-waste.

Sixteen per cent of respondents said they have no idea what e-waste is, while 36 per cent said they know how to dispose of their old electronic goods in correct way.

Eighty-seven per cent of participants said that the government must take more steps to better educate people about the impact of e-waste on environment.

Last month, the UK Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) also urged the government to take urgent measures ahead of new rules on e-waste coming into effect in 2021.

The EAC criticised tech firms such as Apple for deliberately shortening the lifespan of their products and preventing simple repairs in their product. It stressed that the government must introduce new guidelines for online retailers like Amazon to collect e-waste from customers' homes the same way as shops will be compelled to accept e-waste in store starting next year. In September, Apple refused Apple to answer MPs' questions about the sustainability and repairability of its products.

The EAC also suggested the government to reduce VAT charged on repairs of electrical and electronic items to encourage repairs.

"Our old fridges, freezers, computers, TVs, kettles and mobile phones are piling up in a tsunami of e-waste," chair of the Environmental Audit Committee Mary Creagh MP said last year.

"New phone launches, cheaper goods and built-in obsolescence have contributed to the growth of electronic waste in recent years," she added.

"Our attitude to e-waste is unsustainable and the need for radical action clear. We will be investigating the UK's e-waste industry and looking at how we can create a circular economy."