Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
Education Pack for Nursery – Primary 2
Contents
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Information for teachers p2-p10
Activity: matching game p11-p19
A WEEE Rhyme p20
Colouring sheets p21-p27
Contact us:
01224 219281 or 08456 08 09 19*
[email protected]
www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling
www.facebook.com/recycleforaberdeen
*The only charge for this call will be your phone company’s access charge.
Nursery - P2
Information for teachers: A wee guide to WEEE
What is WEEE?
WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. It is anything that has a plug or
batteries.
What items are included?
There are five categories of WEEE:
1. Large electrical appliances (e.g. washing machines, cookers)
2. Small electrical appliances (e.g. irons, kettles, hairdryers)
3. Fridges and freezers
All WEEE goods have the crossed
wheelie bin symbol on them, a
reminder that they must be
disposed of in a sustainable way
and not go to landfill.
4. Fluorescent tubes (including energy saving light bulbs)
5. Televisions and computer monitors
Around 1 million tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment are thrown away each
year but only a third of this WEEE is recycled. The rest ends up in landfill!
WEEE is the fastest growing type of waste in the UK. People
are buying more and more electrical items as fashion and
technology changes. Think about how many gadgets we use.
How often do we upgrade or replace them?
The types of WEEE we use now are different to a decade ago.
We have access to a lot more gadgets to improve our daily
lives; even the mobile phone has changed a lot since the 1980s.
Below is a timeline of the mobile phone:
In 1983, Motorola launched the DynaTAC 8000X, the world's first portable mobile phone.
Since then mobile phones have transformed. Designs have advanced; they lost the aerial,
changed from flip phones to slide phones to smart phones. Over the years, they have got
smaller but can do more and more – with smart phones, we now have the internet at our
fingertips. We can now use our mobile phones to do all the things we needed a home
computer to do.
Technology is always changing. What kinds of technology do you think we will see in the
future? Could we be recycling hover boards or robots? Children nowadays use a lot more
gadgets than their parents would have when they were young and this will likely increase
further for future generations.
On average, each person in the UK will buy nearly three new
electrical items each year which is about 190 million
nationally.
here's no need to bin items; you can drop them off at your local recycling centre or WEEE
recycling bank. Many of us are not aware that items such as hairdryers, toasters and mobile
phones can be recycled. These items have a tendency to sit in a cupboard or drawer and
gather dust, when in fact they could be put to better use. Large items such as televisions,
washing machines, fridges and freezers, laptop computers and vacuum cleaners can all be
recycled too.
What if the item is still in working order?
Items that are still in working order can be donated. National charities such as the British
Heart Foundation collect electrical items, and so do some of the smaller local charities.
They welcome electrical items that are suitable for re-sale, as they can make money which
funds their charitable work. It is always worth checking with the individual charity before
you drop it off though as they will need to carry out a PAT test before they can sell it on.
Portable appliance testing (PAT) is the term used to describe the examination of electrical
appliances and equipment to ensure they are safe to use.
You can also give away items to friends or family or take them along to events such as ‘Pass
It On Days’ so that someone else can benefit from the item you no longer want. Items can
have several lives before they need to be recycled.
What are the benefits of recycling WEEE?
Recycling WEEE means that we can save valuable materials from getting buried in landfill for
hundreds of years. Once electrical items are in a landfill site, the materials they are made
from are lost forever. Some of these materials are really valuable and it can be difficult to
get the natural raw materials to make more. It makes much more sense to recycle the
materials we already have.
Some of the materials have to be mined for and this causes a lot of damage to the
environment. Below is a photo of a copper mine. Copper is a vital component of many
electrical items but we will eventually run out of copper in the ground.
It takes a lot more energy to make new materials so by recycling them over and over we can
save both energy and resources.
Recycling will also save money. Recycling old items into new items costs a lot less money
than finding new materials to use to make brand new items. Recycling is a cost effective
method because it also means we do not have to pay so much in landfill tax. Landfill tax is a
levy paid on all waste sent to landfill. It was £80 per tonne of waste in 2014 and will
continue to rise every year. The tax is to discourage the use of landfill as a method of
disposing of our waste. Recycling is much more cost effective.
Landfill sites are a very expensive way to dispose of materials. Even once they are full, they
cost money to manage. Recycling the WEEE means that the money the Council saves can be
allocated to other services such as education and health care.
We are also running out of space for landfill. We need to try to limit the amount of waste
we send to be disposed of in landfill because otherwise we will run out of room for all the
landfill sites.
WEEE in landfill can be dangerous. If electrical items end up in landfill, harmful liquids can
leak out causing pollution. They can cause soil and water contamination harming wildlife
and even human health. Below is a photo of toxic leachate oozing out of a landfill site
polluting the environment around it.
Landfill also creates a gas called Methane which contributes to climate change. Climate
change is where our weather systems are changing due to the actions of humans especially
through industry. Lots of Methane in the atmosphere damages our planet.
How is WEEE recycled?
We can all take our unwanted or broken WEEE to recycling centres or WEEE recycling banks.
The items are then collected and sent on to a reprocessing plant.
The recycling process for WEEE can vary a lot depending on the category of WEEE and the
technology that is used at the reprocessor. Some reprocessors shred the items into small
pieces, whilst others take apart each item by hand or using a machine. Often the cables and
batteries etc. are removed by hand first before it is taken apart. Once the item is broken
down into pieces, they separate the different materials - such as the metals and plastics - so
they can be recycled individually and made into new products.
Materials often travel along a conveyor belt where magnets, eddy currents and optical
lasers help sort and separate the different kinds of material.
Recycling WEEE is very difficult and requires state-of-the-art facilities which essentially act
like factory processing lines in reverse.
There is more information on the recycling processes in the videos linked to at the end of
this document.
What can waste electrical items be turned into?
Electrical items contain really valuable materials. For example, one iron contains enough
steel to produce 13 steel cans for soup.
The plastic in an electric toothbrush could be used to make 10 yoghurt pots.
Electrical items contain many different parts which, once recycled, can be used again in a
variety of new ways.
The plastic found in your kettle could be recycled into a new games console.
The circuit boards in your games console can contain precious metals including palladium
which can be used again in mobile phones.
The gold in your mobile phone can be recycled into jewellery.
Copper from cables can be mixed with zinc to make brass, or with tin to make bronze.
When we look at the specific elements that are used to make our everyday objects, we can
see how valuable the materials are. This is why it is so important to save the materials from
going to waste so that we can use them over and over making new items.
The WEEE Man
The WEEE man is a sculpture at the Eden project in Cornwall, England.
He is made from 3.3 tonnes of scrap waste electrical and electronic
products which represents the average amount each UK citizen will
throw away in their lifetime. This amount is only set to increase as
people buy more electrical items. Unfortunately, most of these
products will go straight into landfill. The WEEE man is designed to
look like he is dragging himself out of landfill so that he can be used
again. This is to encourage people to take responsibility for the
materials that they throw away.
WEEE directive
Since January 2006, manufacturers and retailers have had a responsibility to recycle WEEE.
New EU legislation was brought out called the WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic
Equipment) Directive.
This includes take back services which means that shops that sell electrical items now have
to provide a way for their customers to dispose of their old household electrical and
electronic equipment free of charge when they buy a new version. This can either be by
providing a service where you can take your old item into the store and they will have it
recycled for you or they can pay into a WEEE compliance scheme such as the one run by the
European Recycling Partnership (ERP). Check with your local store to see what set up they
have for their customers.
And remember the 3Rs:
Reduce waste electrical items by only buying what you need and keeping these items for
longer. Share, borrow and hire instead of buying, especially for items that you won’t use
very often such as tools.
Reuse waste electrical items by buying second hand ones or borrowing from friends or
lending services. Try mending and repairing your items. If you no longer need them then
donate them to charity.
Recycle waste electrical items by taking them to a recycling bank, centre or taking them
back to the retailer. For more information on how to recycle WEEE in Aberdeen contact the
Recycling Team or see our website for details.
Useful websites for further information:
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/waste/waste_recycling/waste_weee.asp
http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/waste-electrical.htm
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weee-regulations-2013-governmentguidance-notes
http://www.erp-recycling.co.uk/
http://www.erp-ewaste.co.uk/schools/
Videos showing the WEEE recycling process:
http://www.recyclenow.com/facts-figures/how-it-recycled/electricals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ8KpX2Lp5w
http://www.erp-ewaste.co.uk/how/
http://www.cclnorth.com/news/archives/id/57
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjkb2sQ6yKU
http://vimeo.com/12730094
http://vimeo.com/12073992#at=5
Keywords: appliances, contamination, climate change, designs, electrical, electronic,
energy, environment, equipment, gadgets, landfill, leachate, materials, pollution, recycle,
resources, reuse, reprocessor, technology, waste
WEEE: Match up the WEEE items
WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. It is anything that uses a plug or
batteries.
Around 1 million tonnes of WEEE is generated every year but only a third is recycled. The
rest ends up in landfill.
WEEE is the fastest growing type of waste in the UK because people are buying more and
more electrical items as fashion and technology changes.
On average, each person in the UK buys three brand new electrical items every year which is
about 190 million items nationally.
This activity will help teach pupils how many different kinds of WEEE can be recycled instead
of being thrown away. All the images below show different types of WEEE, and each of
them can be recycled in one of the WEEE banks across the city or taken to a recycling
centre. By recycling, we can gain value from WEEE by transforming something old into
something new.
The activity is a game of Match up or Pairs. The game can be carried out together as a class
with each pupil choosing an object and trying to find its pair. It can also be carried out in
small groups or individually. There are 40 items shown below.
Print out and laminate the WEEE products below. Then mix them up and place them face
down on the table. Encourage the children to find the matching pairs. Then discuss what
they should do with these items when they are broken or no longer needed.
All WEEE items shown can be recycled in Aberdeen. For more information contact the
Recycling Team:
01224 219281 or 08456 08 09 19*
[email protected]
www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling
www.facebook.com/recycleforaberdeen
*The only charge for this call will be your phone company’s access charge.
This activity can also link into the theme of Reuse as unwanted electrical items that are still
in working order can be donated to charities or swapped with friends. Items can have many
lives before they need to be recycled.
For more information on WEEE see our notes for teachers.
A WEEE rhyme
To the tune of this little piggy
This little robot went to market,
This little robot is made of chrome,
This little robot has been recycled,
These little robots are on loan,
And these little robots are all WEEE WEEE WEEE and can be
found at home.
Draw a line to join the waste electrical and
electronic equipment with the WEEE bank
where it can be recycled. Then, have fun
colouring them in!
WEEE bank for recycling small
electrical and electronic equipment
“CAPTAIN RECYCLE“
I’m Captain Recycle –the Compliance Alliance Recycling Team’s superhero! Thanks to my friends
and me spreading the responsible recycling message, there are less electrical items going into the
bin. Our message is clear: if you have any broken or unwanted electrical items at home, take them
to your local recycling centre!
To learn more about the Compliance Alliance
Recycling Team – and to find your nearest
recycling centre – go to www.erp-ewaste.co.uk
“STEAM”
My name’s Steam and I’m hot, hot, hot!! I keep your clothes looking crisp! When I finally run out of
steam please recycle me for FREE at your local recycling centre.
All household appliances like me – large and small – can be taken for recycling. Our metals, plastics,
wood, glass and cardboard can all be recovered and used again.
To learn more about the Compliance Alliance
Recycling Team – and to find your nearest
recycling centre – go to www.erp-ewaste.co.uk
“LIGHT”
I’m Light the brightest member of the Compliance Alliance Recycling Team! I keep your schools and
homes well-lit. Over time, I run out of energy, so tell your Mum & Dad to invest in long-life light bulbs
that will last longer, reduce energy bills and protect the environment!
When I’m recycled, my metals, plastics and glass can be used again. But I’m not all sweetness and light!
My hazardous materials, like mercury or phosphorous, need to be carefully separated and recovered.
To learn more about the Compliance Alliance
Recycling Team – and to find your nearest
recycling centre – go to www.erp-ewaste.co.uk
“CHILL”
I’m Chill – the coolest member of the team! I keep things nice ’n’ fresh in your kitchen. When I stop
working – be cool like me – make sure I’m taken to your local recycling centre!
It’s very important that I’m recycled responsibly as the gases inside me can seriously damage our
planet. Recycling also allows my oil and foam to be treated carefully – and my metals and plastics to
be used again.
To learn more about the Compliance Alliance
Recycling Team – and to find your nearest
recycling centre – go to www.erp-ewaste.co.uk
“VISION”
I’m Vision and I’m the best-looking member of the Compliance Alliance Recycling Team! Sometimes it
feels like people can’t take their eyes off me!
If I ever lose my good looks, however, please take me to your local recycling centre. Sometimes I
contain ‘video nasties’ such as mercury, phosphorous and lead, which need to be recycled carefully.
My rare metals and glass can also be recovered and used again.
To learn more about the Compliance Alliance
Recycling Team – and to find your nearest
recycling centre – go to www.erp-ewaste.co.uk
“LITTLE MISS POSITIVE”
Hi! My name is Little Miss Positive and I’m the most energetic member of the Compliance Alliance
Recycling Team! When the batteries run out in your toys, take them to your local shop or school
and pop them in the bright red ERP battery box. The valuable materials inside them can be taken
out and used again, and any toxic materials can be kept away from the environment.
To learn more about the Compliance Alliance
Recycling Team – and to find your nearest
recycling centre – go to www.erp-ewaste.co.uk