Retailers scale up Russia’s e-scrap recycling

Russian electronics retailers M.Video and Eldorado have added the major cities of Novosibirsk and Novokuznetsk to their e-scrap collection programmes. Collected household appliances and electronics are sent to recycling centres in 17 Russian regions now serving more than 45 million people.

Since its launch in 2019, the Smart Recycling (M.Video) and Proper Recycling (Eldorado) programmes have collected 1 300 tonnes or 125 000 items of e-scrap, mostly mobile phones, TV panels and irons.

The total number of collection points has reached nearly 500, accounting for half of the stores operated by the retailers.

Used electronics are accepted at stores in Moscow and in the Moscow region; St. Petersburg; the Leningrad region; the Yaroslavl, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Volgograd, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Vologda, Voronezh, Novgorod, Pskov, Lipetsk and Kursk regions; major cities in Tatarstan and now also in Novosibirsk, the Novosibirsk region and Novokuznetsk.

According to the Global E-Waste Monitor 2020 report, the world generated over 53.6 million tonnes of e-scrap in 2019 of which 17.4% was ‘properly’ collected and recycled.