Campaign Launches in South Tyneside To Raise Awareness of E-Waste Recycling

Campaign Launches in South Tyneside to Raise Awareness of Electronic Waste Recycling

The South Tyne & Wear Waste Management Partnership is launching a recycling campaign to raise awareness about the reuse and recycling of small Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and batteries. The campaign will focus on managing and disposing of electronic equipment in a way that it safe for the environment.

What does the campaign involve?

South Tyneside Council will work with the charity Groundwork NE & Cumbria and the environmental solutions company Valpak on the yearlong campaign which will involve public roadshows, amnesty events, and competitions that are geared towards engaging people in recycling their WEEE responsibly.

School activities

Three schools in South Tyneside helped launch the event last Friday and activities were held at each school throughout the day.

• Barmston Village Primary school held a ‘Swap Shop,’ where pupils brought old and unwanted small WEEE items from home and swapped them for another item.
• St Oswald’s Primary school held a battery amnesty, where pupils learned about how to recycle batteries properly.
• St. Joseph’s Primary School invited pupils and their parents to bring old and unwanted electrical equipment in from home so that it could be reused or recycled.

What does the council say?

A spokesperson for the council said that while many people in South Tyneside and the surrounding areas do a great job of recycling, it’s always helpful to have a reminder sometimes of how to correctly dispose of some items, especially electricals.

The charity weighs in

Groundwork NE & Cumbria said that environmental concerns are on the political agenda, and there’s a lot of attention being paid to reusing and recycling items. They added that the campaign will help them further engage with the public about the importance of managing unwanted electrical and electronic goods properly, the hazards associated with disposing of them and how recycling WEEE can have a positive impact on the planet.