What is European Week for Waste Reduction?

There are a number of downloadable resources to help you make the most of EWWR 2025 including an email signature, poster and social media images.  You can download them from https://ewwr.eu/thematic_focus/2025-weee/. 

Actions don't have to stick to the theme of WEEE (you could do something around food waste, furniture, textiles etc), but they must be about watse prevention.  Recycling actions are not considered to be part of EWWR>

An action can be as big or small as you want.  Some suggestions and organisations you may want to approach (joint actions are welcomed) include:

• Set up a WEEE amnesty.  It could be at your workplace, school/college or community.  Encourage people to donate working items that can be reused.  Partner with a reputable organisation that can collect the items and ensure they are reused safely (or recycled if they can't be reused).  Some that we are aware of (if your organisation wants to be listed here too, just let us know);
  • Retek https://re-tek.co.uk/
  • CCL North https://www.cclnorth.com/
  • ILM Highland https://ilmhighland.co.uk/
  • Edinburgh Remakery https://www.edinburghremakery.org.uk
  • Selkirk General Store https://generalstoreselkirk.org/
  • Renew Crew https://renewcrew.org.uk/
  • WEEE Scotland https://weeescotland.co.uk/
• Set up a repair event (as a one-off or a regular thing);
  • How to set up a repair cafe https://www.repaircafe.org/en/join/start-your-own/
  • How to set up a restart party https://therestartproject.org/restartparty/
  • Hire a repair kit from Team Repair to get the young person in your life/community engaged in repair https://www.team.repair/
  • Ask you local Repair cafe if they will host an event for you.
• Repair your own broken gadgets and tell everyone about it on your socials;
  • Take your broken WEEE to a repair cafe to give it another life
  • Try fixing it yourself.  https://www.ifixit.com/ has some great guides (just beware that this could affect your warranty)
• Clear out your draw of any old phones you were keeping 'just in case'.  Some charities will take these, offer them on https://freecycle.org/, https://www.ilovefreegle.org/ or sell them (make sure you delete any personal information first)
• Run a campaign raising awareness of the issues around WEEE.  Some articles that might help give you some background information include;
  • A deep dive into WEEE https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/deep-dive-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
  • Critical raw materials https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/what-are-critical-raw-materials
  • Some information from EWWR (NB figures apply to the EU, not Scotland specific) https://ewwr.eu/thematic_focus/2025-weee/
  • EWWR will be publishing some factsheets in September - but again, information may be specific to the EU, not Scotland
• Follow EWWR on their social channels and share their posts;
  • Facebook www.facebook.com/ewwr.eu  
  • X - x.com/2EWWR
  • Instagram - instagram.com/2ewwr/
• Create a quiz about WEEE
• Set up a school project including assemblies/lessons etc about the importance of reusing and repairing WEEE.
• Local authorities; Set up a WEEE reuse service like Highland council have done https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/16721/highland_council_launches_new_electrical_reuse_facility_at_nairn_recycling_centre
• If you're looking to get a new (to you) WEEE item, buy second hand, lease or buy items designed to last like phones from https://www.fairphone.com/ or https://www.shift.eco/en/ 

Once you've decided what you're doing for EWWR, you need to register it on the EWWR website https://ewwr.eu/take-part/.  Registration opens on 1st September and closes on 9 November 2025.  Being registered means you'll be featured on the map (if you want to be) and will be considered for awards for the best initiatives.  

NB. Zero Waste Scotland is the official EWWR coordinator in Scotland.