Today is the weather International E-waste Day. This day was established in 2018 by the WEEE Forum (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment). The goal of this initiative is clearer and more urgent than ever: to raise global awareness of the enormous mountain of electronic waste and the importance of e-waste recycling among consumers and businesses. A mission that W3E always – and today even a little extra – contributes to.
The theme of this year: worries fast tech
This year the international focus of the event is on fast tech. This is the rapidly growing stream of small, inexpensive electronics that people often buy impulsively and quickly throw away again. Think of cheap charging cables, disposable vape devices, mini fans or earbuds. Although at W3E we focus on business IT equipment and therefore do not work with fast tech, We do worry about this development. It is precisely this small electronics that too often ends up in the ordinary trash. This leads to the unnecessary loss of valuable raw materials. This once again emphasizes to us how important it is to process electronic waste properly.
Why is awareness of e-waste so important?
The mountain of electronic waste (both small gadgets and large business computers) is growing at an enormous pace worldwide. All these old devices contain scarce raw materials, such as copper, silver, and gold. If we just throw these devices away or let them accumulate without being used, these precious materials will be depleted. Moreover, e-waste often contains harmful substances, such as lead or mercury. If these end up in the environment without proper processing, this has major consequences for our planet.
What is the current state of recycling?
Unfortunately, globally only a very small portion of e-waste is officially recycled safely and registered. Many individuals and even companies keep discarded devices unused. In the Netherlands, compared to other countries, we are fortunately already doing much better when it comes to collection. Yet we see that there is still a tremendous amount of room for improvement, especially within the business market where volumes are large.
What are the opportunities for your organization?
We can better manage business e-waste in several ways. It all starts with preventing waste: ensure your equipment lasts longer by maintaining it properly. If a laptop or server is no longer fast enough for your organization, it can often still be fine. reused by another party. And if a device is truly unusable or defective, professional, high-quality recycling is the only right step. This way we preserve the raw materials for the future.
What does e-waste recycling bring you?
By letting W3E process your decommissioned IT equipment, you are not only choosing sustainability. As an organization, you will also immediately experience the following benefits:
- Financial value: Your old IT equipment is often still worth money. W3E can recover this value. buy devices from you, which suddenly turns your waste into a source of income.
- Secure data destruction: Data security is a major concern in e-waste recycling. Therefore, at W3E we guarantee that all sensitive information on your data carriers is 100% safe and irretrievably destroyed. You will of course receive an official destruction certificate for your own records and audits.
- Convenience on site: You can get a special e-waste roll container rent. We will place this container at your office so that you and your colleagues can easily collect the IT waste centrally. If the container is full, we will come to empty it.
Our impact over the past year
Curious to see what this approach brings in practice? We are extremely proud of the results we achieve together with our customers. Last year, for example, we processed a total of 2 tons of business e-waste. 65% of these devices find a second life with a new owner. The remaining 35% is processed by our WEEELABEX-certified recycling partner, so that the various components can be reused as raw materials.
Together we make a difference
At W3E, we consider it important to actively pay attention to International E-waste Day. Only by working together to raise awareness can we take steps towards a circular economy and a more sustainable world. Fortunately, the movement is growing rapidly: last year, more than 140 organizations from 50 countries and six continents participated. Collectively, they generated an estimated 1.8 billion media impressions in 55 countries. Let’s aim for even greater impact in 2026.
Do you want to get rid of your business IT equipment in a responsible, safe and easy way? Get started today contact Get started with W3E and discover what your old hardware is worth.
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