What a waste!

The WEEE man is seven meters high, and he weighs more than three tones. He has been made from everyday items, such as mobile phones, CD players and washing machines. But the WEEE man is not just an amazing work of art. He was built to remind us of the problem of electrical waste. ‘WEEE’ stands for ‘Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment’ and the WEEE man is made of the amount of electrical rubbish the average person throws away during a lifetime.
Three tones of waste may seem incredible at first, but think about it. It is estimated that the average household owns 25 electrical appliances, from televisions to toasters. These appliances are usually replaced every two to five years. Sometimes we replace them because they have stopped working, but often we simply want a more up-to-date or fashionable model. Mobile phones can last for many years, but most people buy a new one every eighteen months. Over half of the electrical items in rubbish dumps were thrown away while they were still working!
The environment is paying a huge price for our waste. In the UK, more than six million electrical items are thrown away every year, and we’re running out of dumps! To get round this problem, many Western countries export their electrical rubbish. It is often sent to poorer, developing countries, which are less well-equipped to process this dangerous waste safely. Without proper treatment, the harmful toxins pollute the landscape and cause health problems for local people and wildlife.
So, what can we do about this problem? The answer is simple. Don’t be a selfish shopper: reduce, reuse and recycle! Think carefully about the items you want to buy. Do you really need them? If the answer is ‘no’, then consider saving your money! Try to recycle as much as you can. Second-hand shops, jumble sales, and websites like freecycle.org are all effective ways of finding new homes for old items.
In twenty years’ time, will WEEE man have grown into an environmental nightmare – or will he have shrunk? It is really up to you to decide.