Large amounts of environmentally hazardous electrical and electronic waste are being stolen from Norwegian return stations and smuggled out of the country illegally. High metal prices mean that this waste is extra sought after. It happens all over the country. A well-used news screen is placed in a reception in Tønsberg. It is forbidden to supply oneself from the reception. An old news screen is placed in the reception. Then Brenna and a journalist sat in the car to follow how long he was allowed to stand. Photo: news – If there is something that looks usable that is on the return point, it will be gone pretty quickly. That’s what Johnny Brenna says. He is a private investigator and has been looking at a return reception for electrical waste for two and a half years. Private investigator Johnny Brenna. He thinks inadequate security is a major problem. And he is probably right: Findings from a new, nationwide inspection carried out by the Norwegian Environment Agency show that a third of the dealers do not do enough to prevent EE waste from disappearing from reception stations. May damage the environment – The waste may deviate and damage the environment. And of course we know that part of it is exported illegally to countries that do not have a system to take care of that waste, says Kjeldby. In 2019, Brennpunkt documented large-scale garbage smuggling abroad. Private investigator Brenna has documented that smuggling is already taking place with pictures, video and GPS transmitters: Vans full of electrical waste are on their way to Eastern Europe and Nigeria. The Norwegian Environment Agency sees some improvement in the reception stations, compared with previous inspection actions, but points out that there are still more who do not follow the rules. – There is a lot of ee waste that goes astray, because it is too poorly safe in the shops where people have returned it. It is not good enough, says Marit Kjeldby, department director in the Norwegian Environment Agency. Check the whole country The Norwegian Environment Agency checked 72 dealers all over the country that sell electrical and electronic products. Both online stores and physical stores were checked. The aim was to check whether the systems for receiving the waste are good enough. This was checked In the audit, the Norwegian Environment Agency checked the dealers: Receive EE waste from consumers Ensures that EE waste that is received is sorted away from other waste and is stored in a separate place that does not pose a risk of contamination Has measures to prevent unauthorized can collect EE waste Informs customers that they receive EE waste The audit also shows that a quarter does not store and handle waste with sensitive data in a good enough way. These are, for example, mobile phones and PCs. Kjeldby points out that this is waste that can be repaired and reused. If it is not in good enough condition, the parts can go into a circular economy. Old mobile phones contain many valuable metals that can be reused. Photo: Snorre Tønset / Snorre Tønset / news – This means that you and I are not confident of being able to deliver that waste, says Kjeldby. The advice is that you simply have to look carefully when you deliver your mobile phone. – I would look at the store, if the system seems trustworthy and so that others can not get what you deliver, says Kjeldby. Thomas Korneliussen at Kjell & Company in Åsane, says you can safely deliver your ee waste to him. – Customers deliver it in the box, and we store everything in the back room until it is delivered on. Photo: Maria Gunnarsdotter Svedal The industry acknowledges the problem The flat screen in Tønsberg was left untouched for two hours. Then a man came on a bicycle and took the screen out of the area. The flat screen was left alone for two hours, before someone picked it up. During the day, this is closer to a marketplace, where there is a high degree of delivery and picking of electrical waste. Some of it disappears abroad, says private investigator Brenna. A total of 140,000 tonnes of electrical waste is returned every quarter of a year. The electrical chains have a duty to accept waste. They admit that stealing is a problem, but point out that it is difficult to secure reception better. – Much of the waste is delivered in the evening and at night, and the shops are located in shopping centers. We do not have access to block the entire area, so it is a problem, says Jan Røsholm, CEO of the Electronics industry. So what happens next? The authorities will continue to follow up the industry with controls and supervision, together with the customs authorities. They also want to work to ensure that the regulations are well known in the industry. – When the Norwegian Environment Agency points out shortcomings in an activity, they must rectify these shortcomings. It follows me up, says Kjeldby. She has two important messages. The waste must not come out of balance, and the waste must be collected. – We can use the resources in the material in the circular economy. It harms the environment if we have to take out new metal all the time. This is the result of the audit Physical stores: One third of the dealers do not do enough to prevent EE waste from disappearing from receiving stations. A quarter of the dealers did not handle and store EE waste with sensitive data in a satisfactory manner. Some are better than in previous actions. The industry has become somewhat better at following the regulations, but there are still more who do not follow the rules. Online stores: Several online retailers do not offer to return EE waste free of charge at sale. Many online retailers do not inform customers well enough that they can return EE waste for free. Only a few from online retailers offer free return of the waste when buying small electronics.
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