Oslo (Reuters) - Only a third of e-waste in Europe is recycled properly, with very large numbers of mobile phones, computers and televisions being trafficked or dumped, according to a study by the United Nations and INTERPOL.
Sweden and Νορβηγία ήταν πολύ κοντά στους ευρωπαϊκούς στόχους συλλογής και ανακύκλωσης αφού κατάφεραν να ανακυκλώσουν το 85% όλων των ηλεκτρικών και ηλεκτρονικών αποβλήτων. Οι δύο countries είναι στην κορυφή της κατάταξης ενώ η Ρουμανία, η Ισπανία και η Cyprus was one of the last with less than 20%.
European regulations require the recycling of "e-waste" to recover metals such as gold or silver and to prevent the release of toxins such as lead or mercury.
In total, 35% of the continent's electronic waste was recycled correctly to 2012. The report rejected past proposals that essentially export old electrical or electronic devices to African nations, such as Nigeria and Ghana, for profit.
"Most of the illegal e-waste trade happens in the countries next to us, and not so much in Africa," said Jaco Huisman of the United Nations University, scientific officer of project which works with the Interpol office and other partners.
"Mismanagement of recycling is happening everywhere," he told Reuters.
A broken refrigerator, for example, is especially valuable due to copper in its compressor. Often the compressor will be removed and all the rest are thrown into the trash.
Stealing the precious ingredients from these Appliances in Europe it brings up to €1.700.000.000 a year to the fraudsters, as the study reports. Of course, the European Union loses this money Union.
Οι συστάσεις της έκθεσης περιλαμβάνουν καλύτερη αστυνομική cooperation, περισσότερη εκπαίδευση των καταναλωτών για την ανακύκλωση και την απαγόρευση των συναλλαγών με μετρητά στο εμπόριο με παλιοσίδερα.