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Promise it Ambassadors
Duncan Stewart
Sustainable Architect, Environmentalist & TV Producer/Presenter
"In the past we got used to seeing thousands of tonnes of electrical waste and batteries increasingly being dumped onto our landscape and into landfill causing long-lasting damage.
Even before electrical and electronic products are manufactured, their mining has a massive environmental footprint. Billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases are generated all over the world every year in the processing of rarer minerals and chemicals needed for all these batteries and electrical goods.
For example, the mining of aluminium uses 20 times the amount of energy it takes to recycle the same amount. We could dramatically reduce this mining damage if we recycled all the aluminium.
Already, Ireland is leading the way in Europe recycling an average of 9kg of waste electrical goods per year per head of population. Recycling electrical goods makes a lot of sense, however, reusing them is even better. As the consumption of electrical goods increases year on year, it’s important that we see real efforts being made to divert those goods from winding up in landfill.
If these goods are reused then they can be put back on the market at a price that is significantly less than the original price, saving money as well as the environment. Plus, we’d be creating a whole new electrical reuse market, bringing with it a significant number of jobs.
Rehab Recycle is already creating jobs at home by breathing new life into old electrical waste. Every new job is precious in our economy right now and anything we can do to sustain employment and create new opportunities should be seized with open arms.
It is a fact that one in five computers purchased worldwide is a refurbished computer, in what is an ever-growing market for refurbished IT equipment. What Rehab Recycle is doing is really important in extending the life of what is a valuable resource, while at the same time supporting communities in accessing IT.
I would urge companies to sign up and Promise it to Rehab Recycle today. By doing so, you will be demonstrating your company’s commitment to helping conserve resources and safeguarding our environment for future generations."
