Dutch hunt for millions of discarded garden tools

The Netherlands – With the arrival of summer, recyclers in the Netherlands have launched a campaign to encourage the public to hand in discarded electric garden tools that are cluttering houses, sheds and garages.

An estimated 4.3 million items are lying around waiting to be recycled, claims the nationwide Wecycle collection network for e-scrap. The organisation comments: ‘For many Dutch, summer is the perfect season for gardening and odd jobs. We hope people will take their old equipment while going to the store.’

Wecycle has mobilised some 850 lumber shops to participate in the summer collection programme. A total of 2500 stores in the Netherlands already have a disposal bin where people can leave their electrical appliances and energy-saving lamps.