The figure: 85 million small electrical appliances are thrown into the wrong bin each year in France

TO BE PUBLISHED ON 10/14. Ideally in duo with the 227580

Since 2018, October 14 has officially become International Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (W3E) day. Still too little known, this high-tech garbage represents a real danger for the planet. According to the UN62 million tons of “e-waste” were generated on the planet in 2022. This represents the equivalent of “107,000 planes” Or “enough to form an uninterrupted line from New York to Athens or from Nairobi to Hanoi” poetizes the United Nations.

Unfortunately, these devices are unfortunately very often found in everyone's trash. According to Ecosystem, an eco-organization responsible for the treatment of this waste in France, “more than 85 million small devices are still thrown into household waste or the packaging sorting bin“. Proportionally, this means that “1 in 4 small electrical appliances” ends up in the wrong bin every year in France.

Fire risks

However, these devices are far from being friends with your package of frying ravioli and your carrot peelings. Indeed, condemned in these cases to landfill or incineration, these devices can trigger fires (for those which contain lithium batteries) or “increase the risk of toxicity“, notes Ecosystem. And this even though they could experience a much more useful end of life.

Indeed, “all equipment that operates on mains with cells or batteries can be recycled“, notes the eco-organization. And recycling should not be done haphazardly since the gadgets must first be decontaminated before extracting the reusable components by following strict environmental standards.

Repair before recycling

And while recycling isn't a perfect solution (because some materials can't be reused), it still helps.”to avoid the emission of 113,000 tonnes of CO2” And “save 936,000 tonnes of raw materials through recycling” indicates Ecosystem. Among the objects most frequently thrown in the wrong trash, we obviously find smartphones, but also power strips and electric toys.

If you want to know where to throw away your D3E, do not hesitate to take a look at our dedicated article. And in the meantime, rather than throwing it away, try first of all to repair your beloved gadgets. Extending the lifespan, even more than recycling, is the best way to reduce the carbon footprint of our washing machines, tablets and old lamps.