The practice of ‘hoarding’: 7 out of 10 residents keep unused electrical or electronic devices

©Press release from the 19.02.2025 from the Environment Agency (Administration de l’environnement)

A recent survey found that 72% of residents have at least one unused electrical or electronic device at home. At the top of the list at 52% are telecoms devices such as smartphones,
computers and tablets, followed by small kitchen appliances, small HIFI devices and TV or computer screens. Although they are not used, most of these devices are still in working order. They also contain valuable materials such as gold, silver and copper, which can be recycled,
conserving our natural resources and reducing the environmental footprint of mining these materials.            

All information on  www.ressources.lu . 

How do I avoid waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)? 

1. Buy fewer appliances: share or borrow appliances that you rarely use to minimize the resources used to produce them.
2. Repair your appliances: use professional repair services available on platforms like SuperDrecksKëscht®’s Repair&Share or participate in Repair Cafés around the country. Some municipalities even offer a « bonus de réparation »to subsidize the repair costs.

What to do with waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) ?

Residents who wish to dispose of old electrical and electronic equipment have several options:

1. All appliances can be handed in free of charge at all resource centres. Functional appliances can be put back into circulation via social repair organisations such as  Nei Aarbecht and  Digital Inclusion ASBL.
2. Small electrical household appliances, such as hair dryers or coffee machines, can also behanded in at mobile collections of SuperDrecksKëscht® fir Bierger.
3. Large electrical shops take back electrical and electronic waste and batteries under various conditions. According to the survey, only 35% of residents are aware of this option.

What about the batteries?

The study shows that most accumulated and unused devices still contain functional batteries or rechargeable batteries. These should be used if possible. Non-working batteries can be handed in at
the resource centres, at the SuperDrecksKëscht® mobile collections or in many shops.

• A ‘hoarding’ awareness campaign is launched by Ecotrel from tomorrow.