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Only one third of EU's e-waste recycled properly
September 1, 2015
Only one third of EU's e-waste recycled properly
01 Sep 2015 - 07:24 updated: 15:55
EurActiv.com by Catherine Stupp
More than two thirds of metal appliances and tech products that are thrown away in the EU are processed illegally and some leak toxins into the environment that can have dangerous health effects. Researchers said Europe has an electronic waste problem.
Almost five million tonnes of e-waste were mismanaged or traded under the table within the EU in 2012, and 1.3 tonnes were illegally exported out of the EU, mostly to Africa and Asia.
Only one third of Europe's e-waste is properly recycled.
Refrigerators are among the worst culprits that leak dangerous materials if they're not carefully recycled.
An estimated 84,000 tonnes of refrigerator compressors don't end up at official processing centres, which produce roughly the same amount of CO2as five million cars, according to a report published over the weekend (30 August) by the Countering WEEE Illegal Trade (CWIT) project.
Read more at EurActiv.com.
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