International E-Waste Day 2025

International E-Waste Day 2025: ERP Celebrates a 5 Million Tonne Milestone

This International E-Waste Day ERP Celebrates a 5 Million Tonne Milestone. Over the past 20 years, ERP has collected and responsibly treated more than 5 million tonnes of electronic waste across multiple European countries.

This year, International E-Waste Day (IEWD), taking place on 14 October 2025, will spotlight Critical Raw Materials, the elements that are mined in only a handful of countries and are crucial for fostering the green and digital transition. From smartphones to solar panels, technology is in high demand, but the e-waste it generates is a big problem for the planet. Much of this discarded electronic equipment and cabling contains Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) - essential metals and minerals that are finite, costly to extract, and often lost when products aren’t properly recycled.

What is International E-Waste Day?

International E-Waste Day is a global moment to highlight electrical waste - the fastest-growing waste stream in the world and in the UK at 3 to 5 percent annual growth, according to the World Economic Forum.

Founded by the WEEE Forum, the international association representing producer responsibility organisations, IEWD brings millions of people together to stop valuable materials from going to waste. This year's focus on Critical Raw Materials is particularly timely, as selective recovery of CRMs from e-waste could contribute up to 31% of the EU's current CRM demand, according to the forum.

The campaign will educate consumers and businesses that CRMs can be recovered from unused or broken electronic products lingering in office drawers and attics. This is why the 8th edition of the International E-Waste Day (#ewasteday) will focus on raising awareness about this fact.

Celebrating 5 Million Tonnes: ERP's European Achievement

At ERP we’re shouting about what can be achieved with WEEE (waste electronic and electrical equipment). This International E-Waste Day we are celebrating a remarkable milestone. Over the past 20 years, ERP has collected and responsibly treated more than 5 million tonnes of electronic waste across multiple European countries.

Effective e-waste management requires the coordinated collaboration of all stakeholders in its collection and treatment. This work is supported by producer-funded collection schemes, such as those operated by ERP, and by strong cooperation with municipalities and other partners, who provide households with accessible and reliable collection points for e-waste.

The scale of 5 million tonnes is staggering: it equals the weight of around 500 Eiffel Towers or 625,000 elephants. Thanks to ERP's work, this vast amount of material has been recovered, dismantled and transformed into secondary raw materials, demonstrating the power of recycling in reducing Europe's reliance on virgin resources.

The environmental impact has been equally impressive. ERP's efforts have avoided over 5.15 million tonnes of carbon emissions. The valuable materials recovered include 2 million tonnes of ferrous metals, 275,000 tonnes of plastic, 89,000 tonnes of aluminium, 54,000 tonnes of copper, 92 tonnes of silver, 20 tonnes of gold and 9 tonnes of palladium.

As Grant Kinsman, COO for Europe and North America at ERP, explains, this milestone represents "collective responsibility and collaboration, conserving resources, reducing carbon emissions, and reintroducing secondary raw materials."

The Great Cable Challenge: ERP UK Gets Involved

In the UK, the Recycle Your Electricals campaign will run their annual Great Cable Challenge during International E-Waste Day, inspiring and encouraging people to clear out their 'drawer of doom' and give old electricals a second life. ERP UK is proudly supporting this initiative through its comprehensive take-back schemes and collection services.

The Great Cable Challenge addresses a significant opportunity: the average UK household has 15 unused cables containing valuable copper (Recycle Your Electricals). Copper is 100% recyclable and essential for phones, transport, clean energy and medical equipment. Recycling copper uses 85% less energy than mining new copper, making it a crucial component in building sustainable infrastructure. Rather than letting these materials go to waste, the challenge encourages people to bag up their cables and any other electrical items for proper recycling.

Material Focus, the not-for-profit organisation behind Recycle Your Electricals, has created a comprehensive campaign toolkit to enable local authorities, retailers and community projects across the UK to participate in the challenge. The toolkit includes promotional materials, bin stickers and guidance to help inspire people to recycle their old cables and other small electricals.

The recycling process ensures maximum value recovery. Collected electricals are sorted, with working items refurbished for a second life, while others are broken down into components for new products including playgrounds and medical equipment.

Get Involved to Make a Difference

Anyone can participate in the Great Cable Challenge - households, local authorities, retailers, community projects and businesses. The process is simple: bag up your cables and any other old, unwanted electricals you find in your 'drawer of doom', then visit Recycle Your Electricals' postcode locator to find your local donation or recycling point.

For businesses and organisations, the impact can be even greater. Last year, over 200 organisations participated in The Great Cable Challenge, collectively diverting hundreds of kilos of copper and other materials from waste streams.

John Redmayne, Managing Director of ERP UK, commented: "Many organisations are sitting on unused or obsolete cables and electronic equipment, often overlooked but full of valuable recoverable materials. With International E-Waste Day approaching, it's an ideal moment to take action. Last year, over 200 organisations participated in The Great Cable Challenge, collectively diverting hundreds of kilos of copper and other materials from waste streams. This year, we have the opportunity to build on that success, demonstrating how responsible e-waste management contributes directly to circular economy goals and measurable sustainability outcomes."

International E-Waste Day 2025 presents an opportunity for everyone to contribute to a more sustainable future. By participating in the Great Cable Challenge and properly recycling our electronic waste, we can help recover Critical Raw Materials, reduce environmental impact and support the transition to a truly circular economy.

Find out more about the Great Cable Challenge here.

Related services

ERP UK's WEEE compliance scheme simplifies all aspects of environmental compliance for companies making or importing electrical and electronic equipment - visit the webpage here

Extended Producer Responsibility - visit the webpage here

About ERP UK

To learn more about ERP UK and our services please visit our About page

Contact us today:

Telephone: +44 (0)20 3142 6452

E-mail: uk@erp-recycling.org

Follow ERP UK on LinkedIn here: