Stop Trashing Clean Energy Materials

Target: Jeremy Pocklington, Secretary of U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Goal: Invest in and promote recycling of small electronic devices to provide raw materials for clean energy projects.

LED lights, USB sticks, mobile phones, charging cables, miniature fans, handheld vacuum cleaners: the aforementioned are just a few of the nearly half a billion small electronic devices that find their way into United Kingdom (UK) landfills every year. One recent study found that out of every nine such devices individuals buy, eight of them end up in the trash. This waste is not just another type of harmful pollution. It also represents a lost opportunity for clean energy.

Small electronics often contain invaluable materials such as lithium, stainless steel, and copper. If the devices are recycled, these materials can be extracted. Then, they can be utilized for uses like wind power and electric vehicle batteries. Unfortunately, too many people are unaware of these benefits and instead see these products as disposable and useless.

Sign the petition below to encourage greater public relations efforts to help give small electronics a new lease on life.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Secretary Pocklington,

Vast amounts of lithium, copper, and other such materials will be instrumental in developing and accelerating clean energy technology. Concerns still remain about the availability and polluting footprint of extracting these minerals naturally. Yet a vast untapped resource is literally going to waste.

Landfills in the United Kingdom are populated by an astounding half a billion small electronics. Collectively, these disposed products could provide an enormous amount of the resources that will fuel clean energy efforts…if they were recycled. The public can and should be made aware that each and every individual can do their part to contribute to this greener future through more thoughtful recycling.

Please launch a promotional campaign and make investments that will transform small electronics into an invaluable soldier for the fight against climate change.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Lukas