The fridge your parents gave you, bought in the 1980s, no longer meets your needs and is actually consuming a lot of electricity, which is rather detrimental to your budget…
So far, you have called the refrigerationist countless times to patch it up, and you have already paid the equivalent of a new refrigerator. Not to mention that it also leaks Freon, a gas which you know it’s toxic. The toaster burned one year ago and you are seriously considering throwing it away. You would also like to change the vacuum cleaner because it no longer vacuums as before and it appears that the iron is no longer up to the task. In fact, come to think of it, you have a lot of old stuff around the house, but a small budget. So you need to prioritize, see how much it costs you to keep patching up the old equipment and the impact it has on your budget.
What to do with the old appliances?
If you have already decided on what you want to keep and what you want to throw away, you should know that such equipment cannot be thrown away to the dumpster, with household waste. First of all, you might not know this yet, but throwing such waste to the dumpster is illegal!
Once broken or obsolete, this equipment is called waste electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) and it is collected separately. Selective collection eliminates the risks of certain toxic components – such as heavy metals or hazardous gases – from this equipment getting in air, soil or water and polluting the environment. Proper recycling can also help obtain secondary raw materials, thus preserving the natural resources. The collection target for this type of waste, as set by the European Union for the member states, is 4 kg/capita per year, and Romania’s collection rate has been only 1.0-1.5 kg/capita in the recent years, one of the reasons being that small-sized equipment, batteries or light bulbs go to the landfills, together with household waste.
You should also know that replacing old equipment with new, energy-efficient equipment means actively helping lower greenhouse gases, the most common of them being CO2. What is more important for your household budget, is the fact that it significantly reduces the costs of the electricity bill. Just by replacing an old refrigerator with an A++ class fridge we save approximately EUR 40/year on the electricity bill. If we add the washing machine, the electric bulbs and other home appliances, we can save quite a significant amount. Did you know that today’s most efficient refrigerators consume only 25% of the energy needed for a refrigerator manufactured in 1990? Or that today, the new washing machines consume 44% less energy and 62% less water than those manufactured in 1985?
How to dispose of old electrical equipment from your home?
The Romanian Recycling Association RoRec, in partnership with the townhalls, carries out collection events for this type of waste. More than 190 waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) collection events have been organized nationwide since mid-March, in partnership with the townhalls. To date, more than 800 tons of WEEE have been collected from over 40,000 participating citizens who joined this campaign – from over 450 localities – and are already on their way to recycling, according to the European environmental standards.
Follow our future activities at www.facebook.com/AsociatiaRoRec or www.rorec.ro!
Don’t forget! Waste doesn’t belong at home. Take it for a hike!