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Data from the main consortium that tracks end-of-life fridges, washing machines, dishwashers and ovens.
Over 78 thousand tons of fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, ovens and hoods were collected and sent for recycling in 2015. Literally a mountain of electronic waste, which allowed to recover great quantities of raw materials: 47,000 tons of iron, about 1,700 tons of aluminium, 1,600 tons of copper and 8,000 tons of plastic. The recycling of these materials made it possible to avoid the emission of more than 870,000 tons of CO2, equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed in one year by a forest of the size of the province of Rimini. The data was provided by Ecodom, one of the main Italian consortia working in the field of end-of-life appliances treatment.
The data from 2015 show a + 3.3% increase of WEEE (waste electric and electronic equipment) recycled by the consortium compared to the previous year.
More in detail, the data concerning the R1 category (fridges and AC devices) is almost identical to the data of the previous year: in 2015, about 34,800 tons were treated (- 0,9% compared to 2014). The negative gap registered in the first semester of 2015 was filled: one of the main reasons for this trend reversal was the exceptional climatic conditions of last summer, which in many cases led to the purchase of new AC devices to replace older, less performing ones.
A constant increase can be observed in the amount of recycled R2 category WEEE (washing machines, dishwashers, hoods, stoves, water boilers). Recycling in this category increased by 6.8% compared to 2014, with an absolute result of about 43,000 tons, almost as much as the record result registered by the Consortium in 2010.
One of the causes of such an increase is the decrease of the value of raw materials (in particular iron and plastic), which has become particularly sharp from June 2015: due to this value loss, category R2 WEEE have become less desirable on the parallel market. Another cause is the increase of the value of efficiency prizes established by the new Program Agreement which came into force in early 2015 and was made by AEE Producer Associations, ANCI, WEEE Coordination Center and Associations for Urban Hygiene Companies.
“The increase of the quantity of WEEE managed by the Consortium in 2015 is surely something very positive – declared Giorgio Arienti, Ecodom’s Director General – because the treatment methods used by the suppliers selected by the Consortium respect the highest European environmental standards. However, we should not forget that in our country still two thirds of the WEEE produced by citizens just disappears: this waste is usually intercepted by people who only aim at maximizing their own profits, without being bothered by the environmental consequences of bad recycling. This problem is quite serious and I hope the Government will deploy quick and efficient measures to take care of it. It might be necessary to modify the current regulations: otherwise, it won’t be easy for Italy to accomplish the new, ambitious collection targets set by the latest European Directive on WEEE”.
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