Since the Lockdown-the end: More than 20 percent of discarded electro-scrap

Since the end of the Corona-lock downs, more than 20 percent of electronic waste is disposed of in Germany as in the same period a year earlier.

“The far-reaching reduction of life on the home environment seems to have led to increased “clean-up” actions”, said Bernhard Jehle, President of the Federal Association for secondary raw materials and disposal (bvse), the German press Agency. Compared with the same period in the year 2019, the quantity disposed of in old electrical equipment is growing by 20 to 30 percent. Especially where many of the collection stations the city of corona due to had closed, now especially a lot of e-waste, which had in the meantime been stored at home. Also the reboot in the industry provides for increasing quantities.

The recycling companies that complained during the lock downs on a lull, not be able to benefit from the current Boom, however, on the contrary, The logistics have to be extremely reorganized quickly, to be able to, for example, continues to be a quick pick-up of large electrical equipment. In addition, full-bearing mountains, in the plants, as they exist currently, often, it also has its dangers: in Particular, Lithium batteries from mobile phones can easily cause a fire. “A fire at a recycling plant may be existence threatening,” says Jehle.

The Association calls, therefore, cell phones should already be in the adoption as far as possible from their batteries disconnected. This requirement is currently being violated too often. In addition, manufacturers of equipment need to educate your customers about the importance of a correct waste management. A recent UN report, many citizens dispose of can bring their old devices in the trash instead of the recycling centre.

“We are in a vicious circle,” defendant Jehle. So it is lacking in the paralyzed industrial demand for metals. At the same time, the offer was very high. “If you have a high supply meets weak demand, this leads in turn to falling metal prices and wegschmelz companies margins for the recycling.”