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Small electronic devices are not being collected to a sufficient extent for Sweden to meet the next targets, according to a clause in the January deal.
– So a mortgage is primarily a way to get these things. The container for cans and bottles is, for example, a very popular instrument that has given good results, says Gunnar Fredriksson, with previous experience working in the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of the Environment, among others.
Britta Moutakis is included as an expert in the report. She is an advisor to Avfall Sverige, the industrial organization of municipalities in waste management.
– It is good that you collect electrical waste that is thrown in the garbage can or that runs the risk of slipping in the garbage bag because you do not deliver it to the indicated place. But there are also some concerns with electrical waste that could be compounded by a promise, he says.
Britta Moutakis, Advisor to Avfall Sverige.
Photo: Gugge Zelander
Because electronics contains metals that can be valuable, electrical waste is prone to theft.
– Theft is a problem in municipal recycling centers. Theft leads to vandalism, and municipalities have to spend time and money installing fences, alarms and surveillance, says Britta Moutakis.
– If later you think that you have direct money in hand for a mobile phone, our fear is that it could lead to even more theft in the collection systems that exist. Therefore, the operation of a warehouse system is highly dependent on how the practical details are designed, he continues.
The questions to be answered are: How should things be collected? What type of container should be used? How high should the compensation be? And how should products be labeled?
Recently, Rebuy, a platform for buying and selling used electronics, published a study based on the EU framework for calculating e-waste. Complemented by an online survey, the number of abandoned mobile phones was estimated in 27 countries (24 EU countries, USA, Canada and New Zealand).
According to the survey, Sweden has the highest number of unused mobile phones per capita of all countries: 1.31.
– But it is very difficult to compare because the products have such a long life. Sweden was almost the first in the world to recycle electronic products and is probably still among the best, says Gunnar Fredriksson.
At the same time, not enough old electronics are being recycled, which is why the deposit system is being investigated. The research proposal must be submitted no later than April 1.
Gunnar Fredriksson.
Researcher Gunnar Fredriksson says the bottom line for a successful deposit system is that you cannot cheat on your deposit. He believes that a mortgage should be at the level of a few hundred crowns for a mobile phone.
– But first, as a consumer, you need to pay the deposit when you buy a new phone. This means that you will not receive a deposit for what you have at home today. So it will be a long delay, he says.
He points out that there is already a resale value for electronics today.
– Despite that, people leave it at home. We’re not so sure about the numbers, but you have to attract them somehow and analyze why people store phones and other equipment at home.
Gunnar Fredriksson believes there can be nostalgic value in keeping your first mobile phone. It may also be because you are afraid that information about bank identification and logins will end up in the wrong hands and that people will feel that mobile phones have value.
Mobile phones contain, among other things, gold, copper and rare earth metals.
Photo: Nicklas Thegerström
Some of the materials on mobile phones they are gold and copper, as well as rare earth metals, which the EU has identified as critical for the supply of materials. However, in a broader context, mobile phones are a small part, compared to car batteries and electric car batteries, in the transition from fossil energy, says Gunnar Fredriksson.
The investigation will also examine alternatives to a mortgage. Demands for an improved collection that better motivates people to hand over the phone may be a possibility, according to the researcher.
– Even more important than recycling things is avoiding waste, says Britta Moutakis from Avfall Sverige.
The goal is for people not to change their mobile as often, but to use it for longer. If it breaks, make sure it’s repaired.
– Preventing waste and reuse comes before material recycling on the waste ladder. It is also something that we have thought about with the deposit: what if it becomes more profitable to deliver a mobile phone to recycle material than to repair it? Would it stimulate even faster phone consumption? says Britta Moutakis.
Within the EU, work is being done where the requirements It has begun imposing lifelong electronics manufacturers, spare parts and upgrades, and a ban on planned product aging.
Great benefits can be achieved by increasing the life of phones.
– At the same time, telephones are important for the development of society. Therefore, there is interest in people having modern phones that can handle different things. So you can’t completely resist technical development either. The balancing act is tough and that’s where the deposit comes into context, says Gunnar Fredriksson.
