400,000 tons of WEEE collected and recycled by ECOTIC

ECOTIC is the first organization for the transfer of responsibility in the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment of manufacturers who put electrical equipment on the market.

Since its beginnings, ECOTIC has actively contributed to the circular economy, by recycling electrical and electronic waste, batteries and accumulators, light bulbs and neon lights and re-introducing into the economic circuit 190,000 tons of iron, 55,000 tons of plastic, 11,000 tons of aluminum and 7,000 tons of copper. At the same time, by ensuring recycling to the highest European standards, the hazardous substances contained in electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) were disposed of under maximum safety conditions, thus preventing pollution.

Together with its local partners, ECOTIC brought solutions for the correct disposal of WEEE closer to citizens in urban and rural areas through the 357 local campaigns carried out in 2023. At the same time, ECOTIC continued the development of local collection solutions, expanding the national network of collection points at over 10,000 such solutions.

ECOTIC is, at the same time, involved in the activity of reconditioning and reusing WEEE together with Ateliere sans frontieres, an organization specialized in the field of IT equipment reconditioning. Over the past ten years, 40,000 computers, along with over 3,000 laptops, printers, photocopiers and mobile phones have been donated to rural schools and communities in disadvantaged areas.

As part of the donation project "IT4Kids in the rural environment", started at the initiative of the Informal IT School, in partnership with BCR, over 140 laptops and video projectors were refurbished by Ateliere Fără Frontiere (AFF) and were donated, last year, to training centers and schools in disadvantaged areas.

In 2023, the educational projects "School of Ecoterrians" and "The little ones do big things" brought the messages of environmental protection and separate collection to more than 145,000 students and preschoolers in 625 educational institutions. At the same time, in partnership with the Bistrita-Năsăud County School Inspectorate, ECOTIC implemented the project "Recycle today, for your health tomorrow!" held in primary, secondary and high school education units in Bistrita Năsăud county, which provided students with information about the benefits of separate collection of WEEE, used batteries and lighting fixtures.

The ECOTIC Caravan, a vehicle for information and awareness of the importance of separate collection and recycling of electrical waste, continued its route through the country, this time visiting the localities of Ploiești, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Slatina, Balotești, as well as rural areas in Brașov counties and Buzau. The caravan also made a stop at the Brașov Green Cities Forum, the largest event in Romania dedicated to the exchange of experience and best practices between cities and the promotion of innovations in the field of sustainable development.

The anniversary edition of the Clean Environment Awards Gala marked the achievement of the threshold of 780 projects entered in the competition by public, educational institutions, companies and NGOs, in the 15 years of its implementation.

The International Day of Electrical Waste, marked every year on October 14, focused in 2023 on the collection and recycling of electrical waste considered invisible, namely those products that are not recognized by consumers as electrical equipment and, consequently, end up not be handed in correctly, for recycling, but thrown away randomly. On this occasion, ECOTIC got involved by organizing: local campaigns such as Clean Cities and the Recycling Station, a visit by producers affiliated to the GreenWEEE Buzău recycling plant, as well as by making a vlog about solutions for handing in small electronic waste dimensions.

"Steps for Urban Mining" transfer of Norwegian know-how in the operation of centers with voluntary input

ECOTIC implemented, between May and December 2023, the STEPS FOR URBAN MINING project financed by EEA & Norway Grants. The objective of the project was the transfer of know-how in the management of municipal waste, including electrical and electronic equipment waste, in the context where through the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), 585 centers with voluntary contribution (CAV) will be constructed in Romania until 2026. The main actions of the project were: work visits to municipal centers in Norway by 31 representatives of entities involved in waste management at the local level, as well as the launch of the guide with recommendations for the operation of CAVs.

In May 2023, representatives of electrical equipment manufacturers affiliated with ECOTIC had the opportunity to participate in an event dedicated to the circular economy. The participants benefited from presentations that focused on the Circular Economy Strategy of Romania, the accession to the OECD and the benefits it will bring to our country, including in terms of environmental protection, the transition to the circular economy in Romania, good practices in the field , the importance of integrating the criterion of sustainability in business activity, as well as the new directives on sustainability that will target the activity of all companies.