Ethical smartphone manufacturer Fairphone has issued a challenge to the dominant approach of tech giants by announcing the first upgradeable smart phone modules in a bid to improve product sustainability and reduce waste.

The Prospecting Secondary Materials in the Urban Mine and Mining Wastes (ProSUM) project is set to launch the first Urban Mine Knowledge Data Platform to increase the recovery of WEEE, end-of-life vehicles, batteries and mining wastes.

More than 1.5 million tonnes of illegal hazardous waste materials have been uncovered along with new transportation networks, by a global operation led by international crime agency INTERPOL.

The UK’s first battery recycling facility is set to open this autumn after Ecosurety and Belmont Trading today announced a partnership that aims to make the UK self-sufficient in battery recycling as it prepares to leave the EU.

£665,000 of new funding has been announced to help local authorities promote the re-use and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Consumers want more secure and convenient retailer trade-in schemes for their gadgets, providing an opportunity for more sustainable business models and partnership opportunities for recyclers, says WRAP.

As much as one-fifth of all lamps sold in the UK could be non-compliant with WEEE regulations, according to research by recovery scheme Recolight.

Existing economic measures can be deployed to help European countries make the next step in the transition to the circular economy, according to a study by Zero Waste Europe and Reloop Platform.

For the sixth year running, an annual electronic recycling event in Cambridge, held on the University of Cambridge’s campus, allows students, residents and local businesses to recycle their electronic waste for free.

Online electrical products retailer AO has completed the acquisition of The Recycling Group (TRG) and established a new recycling branch, AO Recycling, which aims to recycle a fifth of the UK’s waste fridges every year.