Past projects

Life E-waste governance

Project title: Life E-waste governance (LIFE14 GIE/SI/000176)

Slogan: E-cycle

Project duration: 2016 – 2020

Short description of the project: Promoting the separation of e-waste and waste batteries through intensive and continuous information to users and consumers of e-devices and batteries about the necessity of their separation and the negative effects on the environment and human health in case of improper handling. Establishing a consumer-friendly collection network for e-waste and waste batteries: street collectors on eco-islands, green corners in larger shopping centers, and implementation of mobile collection for the collection of this waste in rural areas.

Project value: 1,795,765.00 €

Project holder: ZEOS, d.o.o.

Project co-financiers: European Commission, Ministry of Environment and Space of the Republic of Slovenia

Project stakeholders: contractors of local public waste management services, EEO dealers, EEO manufacturers, municipalities, housing managers, NGOs, legislators, youth organizations, Life projects and other projects, waste management scheme, international actors in the field of environmental protection

Purpose and objectives:

raise the awareness of individuals about the correct handling of WEEE and OPBA
to change the habits of individuals in the separation of WEEE and OPBA
to establish a network of collection and permanent awareness of individuals about the separation of WEEE and OPBA
to establish the first collection network of small appliances in Slovenia
increase in the amount of WEEE and OPBA collected in Slovenia

Target groups:

households (families)
consumers and EEE users (young people, working population, pensioners)
educational institutions (kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools)
general and international public

Results:

730 street containers placed on eco islands and other similar locations (1,275 tons of e-waste and waste batteries were collected in them during the duration of the project)
71 set up green corners in technical stores (3,143 tons of e-waste, waste batteries and waste lamps were collected in them during the duration of the project)
mobile collections in rural areas (during the duration of the project, we carried out 135 mobile collections and collected 284,111 kg of e-waste and waste batteries)
with the increase in the amount of collected e-waste, which we achieved with the help of the newly established collection network, we preserved a significant amount of secondary raw materials in the period between 2016 and 2019, namely:
- IRON in the amount of 0.42 of the Eiffel Tower
- COPPER in the amount of 1.23 Statue of Liberty
- ALUMINUM in the amount of 0.15 Atomium
- and 41,692 kg less CO2 emissions = 834 ha of trees
2,148 achieved media announcements + 3,328 radio announcements
many events:
- 1 professional national conference
- 17 workshops with contractors of local public services for waste management
- 37 local press conferences
- 65 interactive events in technical stores
- 64 eco workshops with young people
- 33 cultural and social events
- 1 campaign to raise awareness and collect waste batteries
- 4 regional e-waste awareness-raising campaigns
- 2 local campaigns to raise awareness and collect waste small appliances
- 1 professional international conference
- and some other smaller activities

Final Report of the Life "E-waste governance"

Report

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

SET UP GREEN CORNERS IN STORES

In some larger stores around Slovenia (Big Bang, d.o.o. • Gorenje GSI, d.o.o. • Mercator d.d., M Tehnika • MERKUR trgovina, d.d.) we set up green corners.

The following e-waste can be brought to the green corner: small electrical and electronic devices, mobile phones, portable batteries and accumulators, lamps.
Larger appliances can be brought when new appliances are purchased from the dealer (in the warehouse).

In order to reach consumers as much as possible, we also carried out promotional activities during the project, during which consumers learned about the possibility of sending this type of waste to green corners and received information about why it is important to E-cycle them:
* interactive events (in and in front of the store)
* a larger collection campaign "Old devices for children's laughter", as part of which we collected devices for the Red Nose Society in green corners throughout 2018

Green corner locations
More about green corners

SET UP STREET CONTAINER ON ECO ISLANDS

We set up street collectors on eco islands and other locations around Slovenia.

E-waste up to 40x25x25 cm in size can be sent to the street collector, i.e.: small household appliances, computer equipment and entertainment electronics, other small equipment and tools, toys and portable batteries and accumulators.

In order to reach consumers as much as possible, we also carried out promotional activities during the project, during which consumers learned about the possibility of submitting this type of waste to street collectors and received information about why it is important to E-cycle them:
* official handover of street collectors (intended to present the collectors to the local environment)
* the implementation of eco-workshops with young people, which we carried out together with Mladinska mreža MaMa (where students from all over Slovenia learned about the proper handling of e-waste and waste batteries in the local environment)
* cultural and social events (with project activities, we participated in larger and smaller traditional cultural and social events around the country, where we presented the locations of street collectors to the local environment)

Street containers locations
More about street containers

MOBILE COLLECTION

In rural areas in all regions of the country, we visited remote households with a mobile e-waste and waste battery collection point and organized informational events to raise awareness among residents before or at the same time.

Video presentation of mobile collector
More about mobile collector

WASTE BATTERY COLLECTION ACTION

In October 2019, the Municipality of Ljubljana held an awareness-raising prize campaign "Bring back old batteries", in which we collected waste batteries and portable accumulators. With the campaign, we wanted to encourage citizens to deal more responsibly with such small, but still dangerous waste, and with the help of the campaign, raise awareness among the general public about this topic.

38 elementary schools in Ljubljana participated in the campaign.

In the campaign, we collected:
* primary schools alone, almost 11 tons of waste batteries
* individuals an additional 3.5 tons of waste batteries

The following three schools won:
* OŠ VIČ = maximum waste batteries per school (1,291.3 kg)
* OŠ SPODNJA ŠIŠKA = maximum waste batteries per student (2.43 kg of batteries per student)
* OŠ VALENTINA VODNIKA = the most innovative campaign communication through its channels

More about action

As part of this activity, we also carried out:

* prize competition "Make a homemade collector for waste batteries"
* collection of waste batteries with the help of certain taxpayers and other companies

NETWORKING AKTIVITIES

Since we wanted to strengthen cooperation with related organizations and establish channels for the mutual transfer of knowledge and information, we held the following events:
* professional conference "Habits of individuals in waste managment"
* professional international conference "Practices of changing the habits of individuals in waste management"
* annual workshops with contractors of local public waste management services
* webinar for sharing good practices at the end of our project

PROJECT AMBASSADOR: Mojca Mavec

journalist and television presenter

"I only realized how much waste electrical and electronic equipment is produced here every year, when I first participated in the Clean Slovenia campaign. Despite the awareness raised in recent years, a large part of this equipment still ends up in normal landfills in our country. As a journalist, I have reported on similar stories many times, but actions count. That's why I decided to participate in the LIFE project as an ambassador."

PROJECT AMBASSADOR: Andrej Težak - Tešky

theater improviser and promoter of stand-up comedy

"Since I consider myself quite environmentally conscious, I am happy to join projects that are supposed to protect us at least a little from pollution. Every day I look at all this dirt around me and try to do something to contribute a piece to the mosaic of a clean environment. Waste electrical and electronic equipment is a big problem that few people are aware of, and special collectors for it will finally be found. Happy E-cycling!"

PROJECT AMBASSADOR: Zlatko

a musician

"Two years ago, the eldest daughter was three years old and accidentally found a digital camera in a drawer at home. I only realized how technology advances and as a result waste electronic and electrical equipment accumulates when she didn't know what this mysterious black box is that we don't use. We used it recently, the specific digital camera belongs to t. i. modern technology, but the youngest generations still don't know it. I began to wonder where all these things would end up. In the trash? What rubbish? Therefore, I am honored and it gives me great pleasure to be able to participate in this project that raises awareness among all generations. I think that collectors for waste e-equipment are more than welcome, because with this we are working to protect the environment even more from pollution."

Stakeholder report of project Life "E-waste governance"

Report

Link to project page

Project website

Gallery

Project highlights