Collection Campaign for E-Waste and Household Appliances within the ERASMUS+ CLENA Project

In August, our institution carried out a collection campaign for waste electrical and electronic equipment and household appliances as part of the activities within the international Erasmus+ project CLENA: Raising Climate Change and Sustainable Environmental Awareness for Children with Special Education Needs.. The project encourages us to create a learning environment where we explore nature conservation, climate change, and the importance of sustainable development.

In organising the campaign, we followed the recommendations of ZEOS, which points out that e-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in Europe. It contains hazardous substances that can seriously harm the environment if handled improperly, but it is also a valuable source of raw materials that can be recovered through recycling.

The amount of household waste in Slovenia and worldwide has been increasing year by year. Contributing factors include a fast-paced lifestyle, growing consumption, and the trend of planned obsolescence, where products are often designed to be difficult to repair or upgrade. This leads to the faster disposal of still-usable devices and increases the strain on the environment.

We collected a wide range of items – from computers and monitors to small household appliances, cables, and batteries. All collected equipment will be handed over to ZEOS, with whom we have been successfully cooperating for many years, and which will ensure safe dismantling, recycling, and environmentally friendly disposal of hazardous substances.

Through their participation, both students and adult users learned about the importance of separate collection, recycling, and the concept of a circular economy, which also includes repair, reuse, and sharing. Such activities within the ERASMUS+ CLENA project help to build environmental awareness, strengthen our responsibility towards nature, and teach us that change can begin here and now – with small but determined steps.