Hamburg – The red collecting box for small electrical appliances and energy-saving lamps of take-e-way GmbH at Hamburg was awarded as second prizewinner of the 15th Environment and Health Prize of SIGNAL-IDUNA. On January 10th, 2011 when Hamburg became the European Green Capital of 2011, take-e-way started the take-back system together with the Authority for City Development and Environment of Hamburg and the recycling company for electronic waste TCMG at Hamburg. All interested companies and organizations at Hamburg may demand the collection box free of charge. The citizens of Hamburg can easily bring along their small electrical appliances and energy-saving lamps and deposit them in the box for free. This is saving detours and time as well as another waste bin at the front door. The filled collection boxes are picked up free of charge. TCMG GmbH takes care of the logistics and recycling; they are operating one of the most modern recycling plants in Europe in the center of Hamburg. This guarantees recycling at highest standard. The existence of the collection box should raise the awareness of the population of correct recycling of used devices and lamps.
The award ceremony took place on November 30th in the lecture hall of the competence center ELBCAMPUS of the Chamber of Commerce of Hamburg. The senator of health and customer protection at Hamburg, Mrs. Cornelia Prüfer-Storcks gave the official speech. The second award is worth 4'000 Euros; it was handed over to take-e-way by Mrs. Professor Dr.-Ing. Kerstin Kuchta of the Institute for Environmental Technology and Energy Industry of the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg who highlighted the character of the take-back system which is paving the way to preserve raw material resources in her laudation. The award was received by Jochen Stepp, Christoph Brellinger (take-e-way) and Daniel Fengler of the Entsorgungsverband (Association of disposal) of commerce and crafts on behalf of the Hamburger Umweltbehörde (Environmental authority) and the company TCMG.
Reinhold Schulte, chairman of the SIGNAL IDUNA group, and the president of the Chamber of Crafts of Hamburg, Josef Katzer, who emphasized the performance of the small and medium-sized participants congratulated the prizewinners. "It is a very good thing that these ideas are proposed by the crafts and medium-sized companies and not by large institutes or globally acting industrial companies", said Katzer. Reinhold Schulte said in his speech that with the prize they wanted to make a positive contribution to the environment and health protection which SIGNAL IDUNA will further support.
Jochen Stepp, manager of take-e-way GmbH, explained: "We are very glad that our take-back system was awarded with the popular environmental prize of SIGNAL IDUNA and congratulated all prizewinners. We want to use the prize money for projects which would be confined to the activities of direct benefit of the environment and people. Therefore, we will donate two thirds of the amount to the Hamburger Verein Nutzmüll e.V. (Association for Useful Waste) which paves the way to the regular labor market for long-term unemployed and severely disabled persons. One third of the prize money will be donated for the nature preservation area Höltigbaum of the Foundation for Environmental Protection of Schleswig-Holstein“, said Stepp.
The SIGNAL IDUNA Environmental and Health Award
The SIGNAL IDUNA Environmental and Health Award of the Chamber of Commerce of Hamburg which is worth a total of 15'000 Euros is awarded for the 15th time. More than 1'200 applicants have participated with their ideas in the competition of the award which takes place every two years since the first price was awarded in 1987.
About take-e-way
take-e-way GmbH at Hamburg assumes the implementation of requirements and obligations in conformity with the law according to the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG), Battery Act (BattG) and Packaging Ordinance (VerpackV) for medium-sized companies in Germany and abroad. take-e-way represents the interests of more than 2'300 small and medium-sized companies even at political level in cooperation with the Verband zur Rücknahme und Verwertung von Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräten (VERE e.V.) (= VERE Association for the take-back and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (VERE e.V. registered association)) founded in 2003, the organization of suppliers, manufacturers, trade associations and individual persons for implementation of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act in Germany having a largest number of members.
Press contact:
take-e-way GmbH
Christoph Brellinger
Corporate communications
Liebigstraße 64
D-22113 Hamburg
Phone: +49 (0)40/750687-111
Fax: +49 (0)40/750687-101
http://www.take-e-way.com
presse@take-e-way.de
