The European Commission has published its evaluation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, a cornerstone of EU legislation in place for over 20 years to reduce the environmental and health impacts of e-waste through minimum requirements for collection and proper treatment. The evaluation confirms that the Directive’s original objectives remain highly relevant, with notable progress achieved in the environmentally sound handling of WEEE. Between 2012 and 2021, the amount of WEEE collected in the EU rose significantly. However, challenges persist: nearly half of all WEEE generated in the EU is still not collected, and only three Member States (Bulgaria, Latvia, Slovakia) met the 65% collection target in 2022. Recycling rates remain modest, with only about 40% of WEEE recycled, limiting the recovery of valuable and critical raw materials such as copper, rare earth elements, and gallium. Key shortcomings identified in the evaluation include: Scope: Current legislation does not fully cover new waste streams rich in critical raw materials from renewable energy and digital technologies (e.g., wind turbines). Collection: Low public awareness, insufficient infrastructure, illegal trade, and inconsistent calculation methods hinder target achievement. Critical Raw Materials Recovery: Limited recycling targets fail to drive effective recovery of secondary raw materials. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Fragmented implementation and enforcement across Member States, especially in online sales. Treatment Standards: Only 23% of EU recycling facilities meet high-quality treatment standards, reducing the potential recovery of valuable materials. The Commission stresses the need for a new approach to boost collection, treatment, and recycling performance. Potential measures include redefining the scope of future WEEE legislation to cover green and digital equipment and introducing mandatory treatment standards to strengthen the EU’s secondary raw materials market. This evaluation will feed into the upcoming revision of the WEEE Directive under the Circular Economy Act. As Commissioner Jessika Roswall stated: “We must unlock the potential of electronic waste to advance the clean transition, decarbonise and strengthen the circular economy. The evaluation shows where improvements are needed, especially in recovering critical raw materials.” Background WEEE covers a wide range of discarded electrical and electronic devices—from mobile phones and fridges to medical equipment and solar panels. In 2022 alone, the EU market saw 14.4 million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market, with 5 million tonnes collected. E-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the EU, increasing by about 2% each year.
