The Crown per Kilo project is starting in March. This is a joint activity of the ASEKOL compliance scheme for e-waste take-back and the Czech National Disability Council (CNDC). For each kilogram of old e-waste people place into red containers from 1 March until the end of the year, the Rovná šance (Equal Chance) Endowment Fund, managed by the CNDC, will receive one crown. The project endeavours to support people with disabilities in acquiring employment.

“One-off financial contributions are not sufficient to meet these people’s needs, whereas requalification and stable employment have a much greater impact on the everyday lives of people with disabilities and their inclusion into society,” remarks Václav Krása, chairman of the CNDC. Simply put, everyone who places an old phone, hairdryer or toaster into 1 of the 2,123 red containers across the Czech Republic this year will help people with disabilities to find work. Last year, 1,000,000 kilograms of e-waste were collected from red containers, and a similar result is expected this year. This means that the endowment fund could receive even as much as 1 million crowns.

“We decided to help the Rovná šance Endowment Fund in this manner, inasmuch as we closely co-operate with several protected workshops in the Czech Republic in processing e‑waste. We know how difficult it can be for people with disabilities to find work,” explains Martina Ďaďová, director of the marketing department of the ASEKOL compliance scheme, which operates the red containers.