£6 Billion in Potential Savings with UK-Wide WEEE Kerbside Collection
Fires, Fines & Missed Recycling – The Hidden Cost of E-Waste
The UK could save an estimated £6 billion over the next ten years by introducing kerbside collections for small electricals and waste batteries. That’s the headline from a fresh report published by consultancy Eunomia for the Environmental Services Association (ESA).
The majority of these savings would stem from a sharp drop in fires at waste facilities and collection trucks – incidents that currently cost the UK economy over £1 billion annually. Add in the boost to recycling rates and resource recovery, and the case for nationwide kerbside WEEE collection becomes difficult to ignore.
What the Research Tells Us
Commissioned to explore how best to manage the rising tide of household tech waste, Eunomia’s report examined various methods of collecting small waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Leyla Lugal, principal consultant at Eunomia, stressed the urgency of change:
“Fires caused by lithium batteries are a growing danger – for workers, for waste systems, and for the climate. As the number of gadgets we own increases, so does the risk.”
According to Lugal, large-scale change will only happen with joined-up national action – underpinned by better public awareness and more consistent services.
A Patchy Picture: Local Authorities Lag Behind
At present, only around 100 of the UK’s 391 local authorities offer any kind of kerbside collection for small electricals. That means three out of four households have no easy way to dispose of used gadgets or batteries safely.
The consequences are troubling: each home is estimated to bin nearly 6kg of electrical waste each year. Battery waste is equally staggering – Material Focus reported 1.6 billion batteries thrown away in 2023 and 2024, or nearly 3,000 a minute.
Fires on the Rise
Improperly discarded batteries are causing a dramatic surge in fires across the UK’s waste infrastructure. In 2023, there were over 1,200 serious battery-related fires – a rise of 70% compared to the previous year.
Local examples show what’s possible: Somerset Council introduced kerbside collection for small WEEE and has seen a clear drop in fire incidents, alongside the recovery of 100 tonnes of waste batteries and electrical items in just 12 months.
Rolling Out a National Solution
The report recommends a simple but effective fix: retrofitting existing refuse trucks with side-mounted cages for collecting small electricals and batteries. This approach is considered low-cost, practical, and safe.
The estimated upfront investment? Just 70p per household – a sum that could be easily funded through a national Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system.
Although the UK Government consulted on a WEEE EPR scheme in early 2024, the final proposals are still pending. But as this report shows, acting now could lead to massive cost savings and a far safer, greener future.
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