E-waste is a serious problem in all parts of the world. A UK-based start-up WEEE Systems has ambitious plans to tackle the growing issue of e-waste. They recently revealed that they are in the process of developing a prototype plant capable of providing closed-loop recycling servicesto leading electronics manufacturers.
WEEE Systems wants to involve at least one manufacturer in the development process. The company’s goal is to see manufacturers tackling e-waste and taking responsibility for the full life-cycle of their products.
Bob Clarke, CEO of WEEE Systems recently said in Business Green that:
“The e-waste industry is bizarre in that firms currently pay you less than the old kit is worth to take it away and recycle it, but then if anything goes wrong and it does end up in an illegal scrap yard in the developing world you are the one that gets in trouble. We want to work with a manufacturer where they agree to give us 50,000 old TVs; for example, we’ll reuse or recycle them as appropriate and provide our partner with the resulting reusable parts and materials.”
A partnership with a manufacturer means that the company will have a stake in the new facility. Therefore, that electronics manufacturer will have to assume accountability for the entire life cycle of an electronic item. The company has also launched a new software package to make it easier for corporations to maximise the value from their obsolete electronic equipment.
The software, Cosvcon, audits a corporation’s IT infrastructure and records information on a wide range of metrics including the equipment’s age, energy use, utilization and carbon footprint. WEEE Systems then provides clients with regular updates of the status of their equipment and informs them when its time to retire old servers, PCs, phones and other electronics. This helps to create a secondary market for electronics that is more streamlined than the one that currently exists.
Source: Triple Pundit
By Akhila Vijayaraghavan