We are celebrating the European Week for Waste Reduction at the Lääne-Harju Municipal Government, aiming to raise awareness about the environmental impact of electronic waste and to encourage people to responsibly handle unused or discarded electronic devices at home.

Background:
Every year, more than 62 million tonnes of electronic waste are generated worldwide — an 82% increase compared to 2010. Less than 40% of this waste is properly recycled. In Estonia, approximately 45.2% of the electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market was collected in 2023, while the target is 65%. The biggest challenge lies in collecting small devices such as chargers, earphones, e-cigarettes, kettles, hair dryers, toys, and remote controls.

According to recent studies, electronic waste already accounts for 1.3% of mixed municipal waste, amounting to roughly 3,850 tonnes per year. This means that thousands of small devices end up in household waste every day, resulting in the loss of valuable materials and environmental harm.

For this purpose, we have placed collection boxes for small electronic waste in the lobby and corridor of the municipal building, where our employees – and why not also our visitors – can conveniently bring their unused or discarded electronic devices.