While the term “critical raw materials” is now more widely recognised, the campaign draws attention to the materials that already exist within the millions of electrical items lying dormant in homes and offices.
In Europe, the CRM Act has set targets:
- 10% of annual CRM consumption should be sourced domestically
- 40% should be processed within the EU
- 25% should come from recycling
According to the WEEE Forum, the average European household owns 74 electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) items, excluding lamps. Of these, nine are hoarded but still working, and four are hoarded and broken.
Across Europe, that equates to around 10 million tonnes of unused electricals sitting idle.
Great Cable Challenge returns
In the UK, Material Focus, the non-profit behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, is once again spearheading the Great Cable Challenge to coincide with International E-Waste Day.
The nationwide initiative aims to tackle the millions of unused cables cluttering drawers and cupboards and recover the copper and other CRMs they contain.
Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, said: “Almost all of us have old cables stashed away at home. Fess up time – I have a box under my bed of cables I’ve been holding onto ‘just in case’.
“By recycling just one cable, we can all help reclaim valuable materials like copper and see how easy it is to make a positive impact.”
Research from Material Focus has shown that the UK might have 38,449 tonnes of copper in unused cables and technology.
A separate report from Bloomberg Intelligence has shown a growing gap between the amount of copper produced and demand for the raw product – globally there will be a 6.5 million tonnes gap by 2033.
The same report identifies that better recycling of copper could potentially meet the additional demand.
Campaign toolkit and partnerships
This year’s Challenge has already attracted a wide range of partners, including:
- QVC UK, who will use its live shopping channels to encourage viewers to recycle their electricals
- B&Q, Boots, Virgin Media O2, Beko, and Barnardo’s, who are engaging their staff with workplace collection drives
- Back Market, Samsung Electronics UK, eBay, Mazuma, Dunelm, Careium, Fora and Freegle, who are supporting the campaign through collection points, pop-up events, and national promotions.
Last year’s Challenge saw more than 200 organisations, including local authorities, schools, and businesses.
Material Focus has developed a campaign toolkit for local authorities, retailers, community groups, and workplaces. The toolkit includes communication materials, bin stickers, press release templates, and guidance for organising local events or office collections.
Subscribe for free