School center Hungargasse: 230 kg electronic waste collected for the environment!

School center Hungargasse: 230 kg electronic waste collected for the environment!

In the Hungarian school center in Vienna/Landstrasse, a remarkable contribution to environmental protection was made. On the project days on the subject of "Correct collection of electrical appliances and old batteries", students were active: Inside from twelve classes actively and collecting over 450 old electrical appliances with a total weight of 230 kilograms. This important event was organized by the electrical appliance coordination office Austria GmbH (EAK) in cooperation with the MA48-waste management. The pupils had the opportunity to learn more about the correct disposal of electronic waste in Workshops and excursions to the Inzersdorf manure.

The MA48 waste consultants stood by the young environmentalists as experts and conveyed valuable information about the dangers of improper disposal. Because electronic waste not only includes well-known devices, but also also furniture and clothing with permanently built-up electrical components, as in NABU . The importance of the topic is also underlined by Elisabeth Giehser, managing director of the EAK, which indicates the reuse of raw materials. District head Erich Hohenberger (SPÖ) also spoke positively about the project and emphasized its relevance for the community.

What happens to the electronic waste collected? After the pupils had put together their valuable prey, the entire garbage was professionally disposed of at the Mistlatz in Inzersdorf. It is important that such devices do not end up in household waste, because electronic waste not only contains valuable resources such as metals, plastics and glass, but also pollutants such as cadmium and mercury that pose a threat to the environment and health. Every year, over five million tons of electrical and electronic devices are disposed of in the EU, with around 900,000 tons of waste collection points in Germany alone, such as Destatis

A particularly alarming fact: According to NABU, many small electrical appliances often land in residual waste, which means that over one million tons are not recorded annually. Separate recording is therefore essential to increase the recycling rate. While only 44.1 % of the electrical devices were collected in 2020, the statutory quota is 65 %. In 2022, 80.7 % of the collected electronic rotting were recycled in the EU, whereby Germany is at the top with 85.5 %.

The project days in the Hungarian school center are therefore an important step in the right direction - not only for the formation of young people, but also in the fight against electronic waste. Through joint efforts and education, we can all contribute to better disposal and recycling of electrical appliances! Only together we create a more sustainable Austria.