Episode 23
From lithium to copper: inside the UK’s e-waste system
Scott Butler reveals how cheap “fast tech” fuels waste, and why product innovation is outpacing our ability to recover materials safely and efficiently.
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In this episode, we sit down with Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus, to explore what really happens to our old electronics, why e-waste is becoming a critical materials and safety issue, and how small changes in design, policy, and behaviour could unlock the hidden value in the tech we throw away.
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Meet the Host
Christopher McFadden
Host
Christopher graduated from Cardiff University in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Geology. Since then, he has worked exclusively within the Built Environment, Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Consultancy industries.
He is a qualified and accredited Energy Consultant, Green Deal Assessor and Practitioner member of IEMA. Chris’s main interests range from Science and Engineering, Military and Ancient History to Politics and Philosophy.
Meet the Speakers
Scott Butler
Executive Director of Material Focus
Scott is a business, sustainability, and tech expert with over 20 years of experience working for Material Focus, European Recycling Platform (ERP), Samsung, Science Museum Group, Royal Mail, and the Environment Agency. He has led and set up successful and innovative environmental, sustainability, circular economy, extended producer responsibility, and behaviour change programmes.
His key achievements include setting up Material Focus, a not-for-profit leading the UK-wide Recycle Your Electricals behaviour change campaign. Material Focus also produces insightful research on all things e-waste, and funded and supported new collection and drop-off options that are now making it easier for millions more people in the UK to fix, donate, and recycle their old and unwanted electricals.
Prior to Material Focus, he set up and ran the UK operation for the European Recycling Platform (ERP), delivering environmental compliance for electricals, batteries, and packaging to hundreds of companies, including many of the world’s tech giants. He also led on sustainability issues for Samsung Electronics in the UK and Ireland while the then-new European WEEE and RoHS regulations were being introduced.
Earlier in his career, he led the groundbreaking sustainability policies for the Science Museum Group, including the first-ever national museum and galleries environmental forum, bringing together the South Kensington Museums, National Galleries, Royal Parks, Royal Albert Hall, and the Royal Geographical Society.
He has a first-class academic background with an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College and an MBA from Warwick Business School.
