What happens to old fridges, TVs and computers in Europe? 9 million tonnes of electronic waste are thrown out each year. Blink investigates.

A-Z: W for Electronic Waste

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15280670/j002-0062-en.srt

Each of us should recycle  4kg of domestic appliances per year.

Some European countries  do better than others.

But what will happen to it?  I'm worried.

In Willebroek, Belgium, thousands of  fridges, TVs and computers arrive daily.

They're stripped to their components.  Harmful substances are separated.

Then the plastic and metal  are recovered.

I'll pass.  I'm not ready for the scrapheap.

The EP would like to increase  the recovery rate.

Target 2016: recycle at least ¾ of the  electronic waste of each Member State

That requires special factories.  Let's go see one in the Netherlands.

Here the toxic plastics  are washed, sorted and crushed.

Phew, no danger for me  as I'm not toxic.

The factory produces 1 tonne  of reusable plastic per week.

It's recycled in lots of products  like CDs, for example.

EU industries are  more and more interested.

A lot of our electronic scrap metal  is dumped in countries in the South.

Here, unprotected workers are burning  highly toxic computer components.

They recover metal, like copper,  while risking their health.

The EP would like better controls  on the recycling of our electronic waste.

While we wait for a law, I'd rather be  reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner.

This vacuum cleaner  contains recycled plastic.

The colour's not great,  but the design's not bad.

Recycling industries and electronic  giants are starting to work together

to make products that are  better-looking, stronger and recyclable.

There's more and more electronic waste -  9 million tonnes to be thrown out now