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Problems old and new can combine to form new solutions. Avoiding landfill and providing food in a crisis requires new thinking for a new solution.

Sometimes the best innovations are when you take two existing things and combine them in a new way to make life easier for people. Mobile phones were a thing, as were cameras. Put them together and now camera phones are a thing. Stick in a mini computer that can play music and a touch screen and now Apple is the biggest company on the planet. The elements don’t have to be new to make the innovation any less spectacular.

Many people are stuck at home, which has resulted in much more online buying. There is also more time to get around to the decluttering you’ve been putting off for so long (now desperately needed to make way for all the things you’ve bought online!). This means there’s a massive volume of stuff, particularly e-waste judging by JB Hifi’s sales figures. It all needs to be dealt with, particularly tricky at a time when you can’t even get to the tip to recycle it.

Enter emeals. A collaboration between Ecoactiv, SecondBite, and Pony Up for Good, it aims to save e-waste from landfill and extract the value, in order to fund the distribution of food stock to those experiencing food insecurity. And until 31st August they’ll pick up your unwanted TVs and computer equipment for free. You can get more details here.

E-waste recycling isn’t new, nor is food rescue. Nor, sadly, is food insecurity. But seeing the opportunity in this Covid-19 crisis has created a great innovation, where you can help yourself deal with unwanted clutter while avoiding landfill, while helping people in need at the same time.

At Canards we love a great solution, and emeals is definitely that.