Bucharest, October 14, 2022
Today, October 14, on the occasion International E-Waste Day, ECOTIC (www.ecotic.ro), the largest organization in Romania for the transfer of responsibilities of electrical equipment manufacturers, presents the first study held at national level, on the theme: The habits of the Romanian population regarding small electrical equipment.
The study highlights what are the small electrical equipment in Romanian homes, when they were acquired and in what manner (new or second hand), as well as how many of these are functional or non-functional and what the consumer's intention is with regard to further disposal. It was also analyzed the behavior of the population regarding the disposal of the resulting electrical waste.
10,5% of the small equipment analyzed in the study and found in Romanians' homes are kept even if they are unused or damaged. At the European level, this percentage presents a better situation in Romania compared to other European countries such as Italy (29%), the Netherlands (17%), Great Britain (14%) and Slovenia (12%). In exact figures, the 10,5% is quantified in 17 tons. A third of them are non-functional and even in this context only 8% of Romanians have future thoughts of disposaland 42% say they will keep them.
Why do Romanians keep small used electrical equipment?
42% of them they wish to have spare equipment or assign them a sentimental value (the European average is 68%). At the same time, 32% do not know what to do with them or where they should be taken. Digital cameras are the small equipment that 5% of the population keep them without using them even if they are functional. At the same time, the digital camera is found in only 24% of homes.
When asked if I own mobile phones, in the house, which they no longer use, the answer was affirmative in 54% of cases. The mobile phone can be found in all homes in Romania, and in 27% of them are more than 5 such devices, both functional and non-functional. At level overall are 16 billion mobile phones of which 5,3 billion will become waste in 2022. Only a small fraction of these will be properly collected and recycled.
What are the disposal habits of the population?
A third of Romania's population actively participates in the concept of circular economy by choosing to give to relatives or sell functional equipment that you no longer use. This habit is quite popular in Romania, compared to the other countries where this habit has a much smaller weight.
Regarding electrical waste disposal practices only 8,4% of households disposed properly, and 4550 tons were given with household waste, to informal scrap metal collectors or simply abandoned on public space. This is caused by a still low level of awareness and especially the lack of collection infrastructure. Only 29% of citizens would know about an electrical waste collection point.
"Waste electrical and electronic equipment is a problem if it is not properly recycled. They contain substances hazardous to the environment and human health that must be carefully extracted and processed with appropriate technologies. At the same time, secondary raw materials are obtained from these equipments which are reused in new production cycles with a low carbon footprint and, at the same time, reduce the need for primary resources. That's why we encourage citizens to inform themselves and find out the most convenient solutions to properly dispose of non-functional equipment." Valentin Negoiță, President of ECOTIC
What are the correct disposal solutions?
- 1 to 1 exchange: when you buy new equipment you can hand over similar old equipment.
- At collection points/centres: we find collection points dedicated to electrical waste everywhere, especially in retail stores. The map with ECOTIC collection points is available on ecotic.ro/puncte-de-colectare
- Pick up from home: ECOTIC can, under certain conditions, take over bulky equipment.
Detailed solutions are available on fiiintara.ecotic.ro or at 021 9641
The release of the results of this study is part of a wider series of actions developed by ECOTIC in the direction of promoting the separate collection of waste electrical equipment. On the occasion of the International Day of Electronic Waste Recycling, in October, it is held collection campaigns in Rădăuți, Giurgiu, Botoşani, Buftea, Popești-Leordeni, Galați, Găesti, Chiajna, Resita, Arad, Cluj Napoca, Iasi and Brașov (details are available on www.ecotic.ro). Also, the schools involved in the ECOTIC campaigns will develop actions dedicated to this day. To promote the recycling of these types of waste, ECOTIC also organized a visit by journalists to the largest electrical equipment recycling plant in SE Europe, GreenWEEE Buzău.