E-Waste!

The UK government is considering how to set up and finance kerbside collection of broken or unwanted electrical appliances and gadgets (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/26/kerbside-scheme-collect-electronic-waste-uk). E-waste is a particular problem as it often needs separate treatment from most of the traditional material collected from homes. Since 2014, companies annually selling more than 5 tonnes of electrical goods have had to finance the costs of collection, treatment and recovery for their old washing machines, computers and toasters. Remarkably, however, online sellers are currently under no such obligations.