Portsmouth’s E-waste Amnesty Week Returns for a Second Year
After the overwhelming success of last year’s E-waste Amnesty Week, Repair Café Portsmouth is thrilled to announce the return of the initiative for a second year. With estimates revealing over 880 million unused electrical items in UK homes, the event is designed to help Portsmouth residents declutter, donate, and recycle their unwanted small electrical items in an environmentally-friendly and secure way.
The E-waste Amnesty Week (13th – 19th January) will once again feature a handy online map, which highlights over 60 locations across the city where residents can donate, sell, repair, or recycle unwanted electrical goods. The map offers an accessible solution for dealing with old and unused items like phones, cables, toasters, and more, while promoting sustainability and supporting local charity shops.
Clare Seek, founder of Share (Portsmouth) and the charity behind Repair Café Portsmouth, explained the broader impact of the initiative: "There are a huge amount of minerals and carbon that make up our electrical items, and whether it’s passing items on to others to use, or recycling them so their materials can be put into new products, getting these unused things out of our homes is good for the planet and for people."
Last year’s amnesty saw over 2,000 visits to the e-waste map, with local charity shops experiencing an increase in donations both during the week and throughout the year. This year, organisers are hoping for an even greater response as they continue to tackle concerns over data security and encourage residents to safely dispose of end-of-life electronics.
Clare continued, “We’re asking everyone to take just 10 minutes to check through drawers, under beds, in cupboards, and lofts for their unused electronics. Our map makes it easy to find locations to donate or sell resaleable items, repair broken items, and safely recycle those that are no longer usable. For those concerned about their personal data, we’ve added resources on how to remove data from old devices, and we’re partnering with Southern Electrical Recycling, who will shred hard drives for safe disposal.”
The UK remains the second-largest producer of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) in the world. With growing concerns about sustainability, the government’s Circular Economy Taskforce is exploring ways to improve resource management, and more efforts in this area can be expected in the coming months.
Portsmouth residents are encouraged to take part and join the growing movement of e-waste recycling. The map can be found at: www.tinyurl.com/PortsmouthEwasteAmnesty.