The Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change is organising a community repair event on Saturday, from 9am till noon, at Is-Suq tal-Belt.
This activity is part of the International E-Waste Day activities, to raise awareness on the sustainable management of electronic products and waste.
The activity will see children and young people trying their hands at repairing electronic equipment with the help of specialised technicians to promote a cultural shift from the throw-away mentality to one of repair and reuse.
It is estimated that 50 million tonnes of e-waste shall be generated in 2018 across the globe, around half of which, consists of small electronic devices such as computers, screens, smartphones, tablets and TVs, the remainder being larger household appliances, heating and cooling equipment or other commercial e-waste.
Out of these 50 million tonnes, only around 20 per cent of global e-waste will be recycled, which means that 40 million tonnes of electronic waste are dealt with in a non-sustainable way. T
Moving towards repairing, reusing, and repurposing our electrical and electronic equipment as opposed to replacing them, is one of the concepts of the circular economy. Once such products can no longer be put to good use, e-waste should be separately collected for recycling, ensuring that valuable raw materials, which are scarce in nature, are extracted and re-introduced in the production cycles as secondary raw materials.
This event is being organised in collaboration with ERA, RRRA, WasteServ Malta, the Association of Recyclers, MITA, WEEE Malta, and WEEE Recycle.