E-waste Race
A fun and educational way to collect e-waste!
The biggest environmental impact comes from our stuff!
The impact of the stuff we buy (consumer goods) is huge! Babette Porcelijn touches on the problem as a result of our consumption behaviour in her book "De Verborgen Impact". Also, research by the World Economic Forum shows that 70% of all CO2 emissions result from the extraction and processing of our raw materials, of our products.
The lifespan of our electronic devices (such as a mobile phone or laptop) is getting shorter and shorter and thus the e-waste (electronic waste) mountain is getting bigger and bigger! The E-waste Race aims to save the valuable raw materials contained in our devices and give them a second life.
More than half of all e-waste in the Netherlands is not collected properly. For example, it is thrown in the residual waste where it is incinerated (read more about e-waste in residual waste in the Netherlands here). People also keep e-waste at home in a box or in a drawer and where it is no longer used. This has to change! E-waste contains valuable raw materials that are becoming increasingly scarce in nature.
The E-waste Race combines education with a cool collection campaign and makes collecting e-waste fun, educational and easy. Watch the video to see how and why we do it!
About the E-waste Race
During a race, 10 elementary school classes in a region or municipality compete against e-waste. A race begins with an interactive guest lesson. The children learn all about the importance of the circular economy. To combat the e-waste problem, buying less, buying consciously, repairing, reusing and collecting properly is hugely important. This way we need to extract fewer raw materials from nature and the earth is less depleted. We can also extend the lifespan of our belongings and valuable raw materials return to the cycle.
Then it's time for action! The children of grade 6, 7 and/or 8 will spend four weeks repairing and collecting e-waste. In doing so, they earn points. They involve their families and their entire neighborhood in collecting e-waste. Neighbors can also register their e-waste at www.ewasterace.nl for free pickup at their homes. Participants campaign and approach local and national media to draw attention to the circular economy. The winning school will win a fun grand prize!
Impact
Through the E-waste Races we raise awareness about consumerism, reusing, repairing and recycling among the young generation! Together with these passionate circular heroes we make impact!
- We save half a million appliances a year from the landfill!
- We have saved 3 million kg of CO2 emissions since 2014!
- The E-waste Race reaches hundreds of thousands of people through the media.
Check out the results achieved here!
Quote
‘Through the E-waste races we organise in partnership with Race Against Waste at primary schools in Zeeland, we are seeing a continued increase in the collection of E-waste at our environmental centres.’
Paul Marinissen - Director ZRD - Zeeuwse Reinigingsdienst
Our partners
We work together with municipalities and local waste collectors. They ensure that the e-waste is recycled in a responsible manner, so that the raw materials are returned to the cycle. More than 2,5 million devices have already been collected in nine years! This has already saved more than 3 million kg of CO2!
The E-waste Race shows children and their environment that it is fun and easy to contribute to the circular economy. Research by University of Technology Eindhoven has shown that the races lead to a lasting change in behavior, even after the project. Recent research has also shown that children have the greatest influence on the sustainable behavior of their parents: ‘The Greta Effect’. Because children influence their parents and environment, we include everyone in the transition to a circular economy.
Ready to make an impact with us and do you want to organize an E-waste Race? Contact us!
Wecycle X Race Against Waste
Race Against Waste has been working for years with Wecycle, the national collection system for discarded electrical appliances, lamps and batteries. Wecycle is part of the OPEN Foundation, which is responsible for organising responsible e-waste collection in the Netherlands. This cooperation allows us to continue organising races throughout the Netherlands, increasing the positive impact and ensuring a more circular world
Wecycle's mission is to collect as much e-waste as possible and finds it important to inform and involve people in a fun, attractive way. They do this through the well-known television and radio commercials and thus also by supporting the E-waste Race! Wecycle has collection containers all over the country to make the collection of e-waste as easy as possible for everyone. You can find collection points near you via this website. During the E-waste Race, we like to make students and people even more familiar with these collection points. Points can then be scored if appliances are handed in at the right place.
Wecycle thus plays an essential role in our E-waste Race. They ensure that several E-waste Races can take place throughout the Netherlands and through their network of collection points and efficient processing, they ensure that collected appliances are safely recycled and valuable materials can be reused. In this way, we contribute together to a circular economy and to raising awareness among the new generation.
If you want to know more about Wecycle, check out the website!
Did you know...?
- ... that we collected 500,000 small waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and ICT waste with the E-waste Races last year? That's as much as the entire municipality of Eindhoven in one year!
- ...that the E-waste Races contribute to achieving the legal E-waste collection target of 65%.the legal E-waste collection target of 65%.
- ...that the races (both the E-waste and the Textile Race) contribute to achieving the VANG (From Waste to Resource)) targets?
-... the races (both the E-waste and the Textile Race) contribute in general to the central government's goals for a circular economy in 2050
More information about our E-waste Race? Visit our E-waste Race website!
Racing for Impact.
Over the next few years (2024-2029), we are making big impact with the Textile Race in North Holland. In total we want to organize 14 renewed Textile Races to realize a positive impact on the textile industry. We are also developing our Textielrace.nl website into an impact platform with an overview of opportunities for reuse, repair and recycling for residents of the participating North Holland municipalities. This project is made possible by Kansen voor West and co-funded by the European Union.
We´re proud of this!
We are very proud of these nominations and awards!
