Free e-waste recycling event in Cambridge

June 26th, 2017

Give the environment and your old electronics some summer loving.

For the sixth year running, people in Cambridge are being urged to drop off broken or unwanted electronics at the University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Site Car Park.

 

The annual electronic recycling event takes place on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th July 2017, from 8 am to 4 pm. All types of business and household electronic waste will be accepted for free, and staff will be on hand to help with unloading.

The event is hosted by Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID), Cambridge City Council, the University of Cambridge, and ERP UK. The aim is to raise awareness of the need to recover the precious resources inside electronic items. The two-day event was first held in March 2012, and the initiative has collected and recycled over 120 tonnes of waste electronics – that’s the equivalent weight of over 2,500 small electrical items, 1,500 televisions, 720 washing machines and 480 fridges.

The annual event has proved to be extremely popular with students, local residents and University departments over the last five years. And local businesses – which may not have regular arrangements in place to collect their electronic waste – are always keen to avail of this free service. Conveniently located on the University Campus, the event is easily accessible by bicycle, public transport, as well as vehicles, making it the perfect opportunity for those who may have been put off recycling their electronics in the past.

On average, over 1.5 million tonnes of new electronic products are placed on the UK market each year, but only about 500,000 tonnes of waste electronics are recycled. This means that large amounts of resources are lost as the materials used to make electronic goods are valuable and can be used to make new products. All e-waste collected at the event will be sorted and treated within the UK.

Cllr Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Environmental Services and City Centre, Cambridge City Council, commented: “It’s very likely that most households have reusable or recyclable items, large and small, gathering dust. We ask residents to dispose of their electrical and electronic appliances that they no longer need in a responsible manner and this is an ideal opportunity.”

Peter Lumb, University of Cambridge Environmental Coordinator, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this event at the University of Cambridge’s Sidgwick Site and hope it will be just as successful as previous years. The event will provide a great opportunity for us to encourage our staff, as well as students at the University, to send electrical and electronic waste to be recycled. We’re also pleased that we can play a part in ensuring that electronic waste is recycled in the wider Cambridge area, and look forward to working closely with our partners – ERP, Cambridge City Council and Cambridge BID – to make the event a big success.”

Becky Burrell, Marketing and Commercial Manager for Cambridge BID, stated: “Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID) are delighted to be supporting this recycling event now in its sixth year. Cambridge BID consists of 1,100 businesses in the city working together to improve the city centre. We recognise that we are all responsible for contributing to the reduction of CO² emissions, and support a green and sustainable city. We believe this event offers Cambridge BID businesses an excellent opportunity to be able to recycle their electronic waste for free in a convenient location. We will work closely with the businesses and organisations to ensure the event is well publicised and as successful as the previous five years.”

John Redmayne, ERP UK General Manager, said: “This is the sixth year running that we have helped to organise this great event in Cambridge. We look forward to it each year because we are always impressed how many people and businesses in Cambridge do their bit for the environment and bring along their e-waste for recycling.”

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