Real estate firms are starting a spring clean! On 17-18 May 2018, electronic waste will be collected as part of the Lose Your Kilowatts initiative of eight organisations: Capital Park Group, Cushman & Wakefield, GTC, JLL, Knight Frank, NAI Estate Fellows, Platan Group, Skanska and a waste removal company BYŚ. Proceeds from all e-waste sold will go to the “Przymierze – Ziemia Piska” Association.

It will be the sixth edition of the Lose Your Kilowatts campaign providing an opportunity to discard lingering e-waste into special bins put out in selected office and warehouse buildings in Warsaw. The initiative aims to promote eco-friendly attitudes and to provide charitable support to the Rehabilitation, Education and Care Centre of the “Przymierze – Ziemia Piska” Association in Pisz.

“Fortunately, organisations in Poland are incorporating environmental responsibility into their business strategies in ever large numbers to make sure that their offices and warehouse are environment-friendly. The growing number of green-certified buildings is a clear evidence of this trend. We, as property managers, very often conduct additional educational activities to increase both tenant and employee awareness of natural environment protection measures, including appropriate e-waste segregation. ‘Lose Your Kilowatts’ is primarily an educational campaign in addition to being an incentive to aid a worthy charitable cause,” says Zuzanna Paciorkiewicz, PhD, MRICS, Partner, Asset Services, Cushman & Wakefield.

“This campaign has been the apple of my eye for several years. In addition to promoting helping others it aims to increase awareness among tenants and their employees about eco-friendly behaviour. As in previous years, we will pass on all proceeds from recycled waste and benefactors’ donations to a charity. The funds we provided last year helped to partially extend the Rehabilitation, Education and Care Centre in Pisz. I am delighted that this year we will also support the “Przymierze – Ziemia Piska” Association, which needs further funds to complete this much-needed project in one of Poland’s underprivileged regions. This institution provides rehabilitation and special therapy for children with varying degrees of both physical and mental disabilities. It cooperates with the SYNAPSIS Foundation so that autistic children moving to that region are properly taken care of. There is still more than a month to go before the campaign starts, so we invite all other property owners and managers to join our e-waste initiative by contacting BYŚ and to provide our beneficiary with cash or in-kind support. I hope that this year we will work together for this worthy cause again, because only by being together can we give some hope and happiness to the less fortunate,” says Łukasz Dreger, Key Account Manager, Knight Frank.

Benefits of e-waste recycling

• Protection of natural resources. Components of waste electronic equipment are recycled into materials to make new products, thereby reducing air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, energy and resources usage.
• Environment protection. Through appropriate recycling of consumer electronics, the natural environment is protected against hazardous e-waste substances such as lead, mercury and asbestos.
• Social and economic benefits. Items partially manufactured from recycled e-waste such as ovenware, hubcaps and kettles are widely available and cheaper.
• Jobs. Recycling creates jobs for professional e-waste recycling firms.
• Space savings. By discarding electronic waste that frequently lingers in our homes we are able to free up space.