South Korea implements e-waste recycling programs

Local governments in South Korea have launched a series of dedicated e-waste recycling programs to prevent massive amounts of obsolete electronics from ending up in landfills. The initiative aims to increase the percentage of recycling of used electronics in the country.

According to rough estimates, the capital city Seoul alone generates about 10 tons of e-waste per year. Since 2009, the Seoul government has partnered with the SR Center to provide sustainable e-waste disposal solutions. However, only about one fifth of the discarded waste goes to recycling.

Research shows that the average South Korean citizen changes their mobile phone once every 18 months. If electronic devices such as telephones are not recycled properly, they may end up in China or other Asian destinations where they will be recycled using methods that are harmful to health and the environment. Calculations show that only 21 percent of discarded electronic goods in this country are properly recycled.

SR Center urged other cities in the country to take e-waste disposal measures to protect the environment from harmful effects caused by improper dismantling of electronic products. And proper recycling of these devices will help to recover valuable metals such as gold, silver and rare earths, which are costly industries in their own right.