Bulgaria and Czechia lead EU in e-waste collection
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
In 2024, Bulgaria and Czechia collected the highest amounts of electronic waste per person among EU member states, according to Eurostat data published on October 14.
Bulgaria gathered 18.9 kg of waste electrical and electronic equipment per person, while Czechia collected 17.8 kg, surpassing France’s 17.7 kg. The average collection rate across the EU was 12.3 kg, an increase from 7.3 kg in 2015.
These eastern European countries also demonstrate a different pattern in consumption, placing significantly less new electronic equipment on the market compared to wealthier western states like Austria and Germany. Eurostat’s data suggest that lower sales of new equipment can correlate with higher collection rates of existing waste. Bulgaria, for example, collected about two-thirds of the weight of new equipment it sold that year. However, not all eastern members performed well.
Croatia, Estonia and Slovenia collected considerably less waste than the amount of new equipment they put on the market, and Estonia faces legal action from the European Commission for failing to meet e-waste collection targets. The EU requires member states to collect 65% to 85% of the average weight of equipment sold or the amount of e-waste generated.
Romania’s GreenGroup invested €127 million in 2022 to expand its e-waste recycling capacity, and opened the first flat-screen recycling line in the region in 2020.
