Project overview
Design and test of policies for reducing, repairing, recovering and reusing waste from electrical, electronic equipment and plastic in Central Europe.
Discarded electrical and electronic equipment is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in Europe. Regional approaches to reducing, recovering and reusing such equipment need to be better coordinated to prevent illegal waste trafficking and disposal across borders. The Circular WEEEP project connected public authorities to identify good practices and define common waste criteria. The partners also developed and tested a transnational strategy on the circular management of electronics waste.
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2,34m €
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Project Budget
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80%
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of the Budget is funded by ERDF
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7
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Countries
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10
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Regions
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12
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Partners
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5
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Pilots
Duration
Start date
End date
Project progress
About the project
Project partnership
Project partners
Lead partner
Czech Technical University in Prague
University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings
Project partner
47922 Rimini
3250 Rogaska Slatina
International Project Department
Starostwo Powiatowe w Bielsku-Białej
Lublin City Hall
20-109 Lublin
Department Water, Atmosphere and Environment; Institute of Waste Management
Community Facilities Management
Roadmap
Context
At the start of Circular WEEEP, waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) was one of Europe’s fastest-growing waste streams. From 2019, EU rules required Member States to achieve a minimum annual WEEE collection rate of 65% of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market in the preceding three years, or 85% of WEEE generated. The project brought together partners from seven Central European countries to examine how different regulatory, market and collection conditions affected WEEE management across the participating territories.
Specific problem
The initial transnational assessment identified significant differences in WEEE management across the participating countries and regions. Common challenges included insufficient or difficult collection, limited infrastructure, barriers to reuse and repair, gaps in data and product information, complex regulatory requirements, and informal or illegal collection and movement of WEEE. These findings demonstrated the need for stronger transnational cooperation and more coordinated approaches that could still be adapted to different local and regional conditions.
Idea
Building on the transnational assessment, the partners developed the Strategy for Transnational WEEEP-CE Management and tools to support its application. The Strategy was subsequently translated into a Transnational Action Plan comprising six regional and local Action Plans, developed in cooperation with public authorities, technical experts, and relevant stakeholders. This process moved the project from identifying common challenges towards defining coordinated actions adapted to the needs of the participating territories.
Solution
The partners then tested five pilot actions: WEEE Design, WEEE Collect/Market, WEEE Social, WEEE Lives, and WEEE Aware in different territorial and stakeholder settings. The experience gained through the pilots was used to develop and refine practical solutions for eco-design and repairability, WEEE collection and secondary-material exchange, reuse and repair, awareness raising, and cooperation with social-economy actors. The results provided tested approaches and recommendations that can be adapted and replicated beyond the project territories. The partners also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support continued transnational cooperation after the project ended.
News
Events
Pilot actions
Outputs
Jointly developed strategies and action plans
Enhancing sustainability: Jointly developed solutions
Circular WEEEP Pilot Actions: Experiences, Lessons Learned and Solutions for Circular Electronics
Circular WEEEP
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