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Brussels, |
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Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or e-waste) is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU. It includes everything from mobile phones, computers, and TVs, to household appliances, lamps, medical devices, and photovoltaic panels.
- E-waste contains hazardous substances that can cause serious environmental and health problems if not managed properly.
- It also contains rare and expensive resources, including critical raw materials, which can be recycled and reused to improve the EU’s strategic autonomy.
Objectives
EU legislation on WEEE aims to:
- Prevent the creation of WEEE and encourage reusability.
- Promote efficient resource use and retrieval of secondary raw materials (through recycling and recovery).
- Improve the environmental performance of all actors involved in an EEE’s life cycle.
- 14.4 million tonnes of electrical & electronic equipment were put on the EU market.
- 5 million tonnes of WEEE were collected.
- 11.2 kg of e-waste were collected per person.
