Data released by the European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat, shows that in 2023, 11.6 kg of waste electrical and electronic equipment per inhabitant were collected within the community space, including appliances, smartphones, and computers.
In the same year, 32.2 kg of new electrical and electronic equipment per person were placed on the market.
“This difference of 20.6 kg per inhabitant reflects an increase in the ‘stock’ of devices, either because they are still in use, awaiting disposal, stored at home, or lost in informal and uncontrolled waste treatment processes,” according to Eurostat.
Among EU countries, the lowest values of electronic waste collected per person were recorded in Cyprus (3.8 kg per person), Malta and Portugal (5.8 kg per person each), while the highest were observed in Bulgaria (17.9 kg), the Czech Republic (16.8 kg), and Austria (15.9 kg).
According to Eurostat, between 2015 and 2023, the amount of electronic waste placed on the EU market increased by 78%, from 18.1 kg per person in 2015 to 32.2 kg in 2023.
In the same period, from 2015 to 2023, the collection of electronic waste increased by 60%, from 7.3 kg to 11.6 kg per person, “showing a slower growth compared to the volume of new equipment placed on the market,” states the community statistical office.
