Ipsos: every Italian has nine disused or broken appliances at home

The homes of the Italians are full of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)now disused or broken devices. On average, each citizen has nine, 81% declare that they have at least one in their home still functioning, but unused and 61% keep it even if broken (among the latter, 33% are old cell phones, 23% battery chargers and for 17% of laptops). The reason? 39% think they can repair it, while 30% can use spare parts, 23% still say they do not know the correct disposal procedure and 15% have difficulty in reaching a collection center. Same situation for batteries: more than one Italian out of two declares to have exhausted batteries and batteries at home.

What emerges from the research “Weee and Rpa. Levels of knowledge, opinions and behaviors. What do Italians hide in their drawers? ”, Created by Ipsos on behalf of Erion on a sample of 1,400 Italian citizens (aged 18 to 75), using the Cawi methodology, Computer assisted web interview. Research presented on 14 October on the occasion of the International Day of electronic waste.

Regarding the disposal procedures, compared to 63% of respondents who got rid of at least one WEEE in the last 12 months, one in six say they did it inappropriately, throwing it in the garbage bag, in the street bin or in the plastic bin. In the first places for incorrect conferment: hairdryer (22%), toaster and blender (20%) and mobile phone charger (18%). This despite the fact that 79% declare that they know the environmental risks of wrong conferment

The level of knowledge of the WEEE acronym is stable compared to 2021 with 44% of the interviewees who have already heard of it. The North is the most informed (47%), followed by the Center (46%), the South – Islands behind with 37%. From the personal point of view, it is young people (18-26 years) who collect more WEEE compared to the average of Italians: 89%, in fact, declare that they have at least one electrical or electronic device that is no longer in use and 73% of not having disposed of it even if it is broken. The level of knowledge and awareness on the subject is also low: only 26% of young people know what the WEEE acronym means and 32% still do not know the environmental criticalities linked to incorrect conferment.

An information gap, the research denounces, which leads to serious consequences: four out of ten young people have got rid of their own battery charger throwing it in the garbage bag, in the street bin or in the plastic bin. Also on the subject exhausted batteries and batteries, young people are not very virtuous: only 39% know the risks of a wrong conferment and 70% keep them at home even once they are discharged. For this reason, 35% of Italians ask to increase communication initiatives and information campaigns, while 32% would like to see clear information on the products on the methods of conferment of the waste. On the other hand, among the main incentives for proper disposal, the presence of a collection point close to home (28%) stands out.

“The picture presented to us by Ipsos is alarming: there is still too much waste of batteries and accumulators forgotten in Italian homes. Waste that, if sent for proper recycling, could represent a strategic mine of raw materials of which our country is increasingly poor “, he declares Danilo Bonato, general manager of Erion. Which hits on the sore point of the lack of information on the subject: “More is needed, this is clear. It is important, however, that there is also more responsibility on the part of us citizens in making greater use of the services available to give their equipment no longer used or no longer functioning – adds Bonato – keeping them forgotten in the drawers, in the attic or in the cellar is itself a gesture against the environment. This trend must be reversed ”.

Hence the appeal to young people: “You who represent the future, set a good example! To recycle is critical. With a small gesture, in fact, we can reduce our ecological footprint avoiding damage to the planet as well as increasing our sources of supply of raw materials, easing Italy’s economic dependence on foreign countries “.

Bonato concludes: “As the research shows, citizens on the subject of WEEE want – and need – more information, awareness and greater opportunities for collection. A commitment that given the results we are all called to take seriously. Like Erion, I am proud that these are the first three pillars on which we daily commit ourselves with concrete actions in favor of the entire system ”.

Looking at the behaviors of Italians in terms of sustainability, there is a downward trend compared to 2021 among those who declare that they often do separate collection (80% compared to 85%). And it is only 39% (-14%) who prefer to repair an object rather than replace it with a new one. The new generations are the most inclined to share, like sharing / rentaland topurchase of recycled and refurbished products. A positive sign, on the other hand, for the recycling habits of Weee and Rpa, with a + 7% in the number of interviewees who declare that they often make separate collection.

“L’circular economy still struggles to find space in people’s daily lives: the research we have carried out for Erion, in fact, lacks the full awareness that this process can be triggered precisely starting from the correct recycling of our waste “, explains Alberta Della Bella, senior researcher Ipsos public affairs. “It is above all the new generations who reveal a more ideal than practical adherence to the good rules of sustainability, especially when it comes to WEEE and Rpa. Informing that this waste is first of all resources and not simple waste is fundamental, even more so if we consider that waste related to electronic products is the one with the highest growth rate, concludes Della Bella.