A new enquiry is going to be scrutinising the production of electronic waste in the UK. Currently, it is thought that 44.7 million metric tonnes of electronic waste is generated in a year - despite many electronics such as phones containing precious metals like gold and platinum.
The UK is one of the worst offenders, with citizens throwing away more electronic waste than those in the US and Australia.
The new draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill aims to help address this sort of wastage, by encouraging a move towards a more circular economy - where we design products to be reused, repaired and recycled, rather than thrown away at the end of their lives.
This is going to mean a huge culture shift across the board, affecting consumer habits, retail, design and manufacture and our waste and recycling industry in particular.
However, there are clearly opportunities here for those who are adaptive - especially as consumers become more conscious of their purchases and seek more 'green' options.
