Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Tonnage & Waste Types]][[Category:Targets & Metrics]]

[[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment]] ([[WEEE]]), also known as [[E-waste]], is end of life Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), i.e. items that require electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to operate. The [[EA]] reported<ref name="ref1">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-in-the-uk</ref> that 1.9 million tonnes of EEE was placed on the market in the UK in 2024, with ~~498~~,~~135~~ tonnes of [[WEEE]] collected.

[[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment]] ([[WEEE]]), also known as [[E-waste]], is end of life Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), i.e. items that require electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to operate. The [[EA]] reported<ref name="ref1">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-in-the-uk</ref> that 1.9 million tonnes of EEE was placed on the market in the UK in 2024, with 504,143 tonnes of [[WEEE]] collected.

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===Background===

[[WEEE]] was first introduced by the [[WEEE Directive]] in 2002 to address the environmental impacts of unwanted electrical and electronic equipment at end-of-life and disposal. WEEE is classed as either household (primarily [[EWCChap20|EWC 20 01 35]] and [[EWCChap20|20 01 36]]) or non-household ([[EWCChap16|EWC 16 02 09* to 16]]). The objective of the Directive and its transposed legislation~~, the [[Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2007, as amended]]~~ is to promote recycling and minimise waste by putting the emphasis for end-of-life treatment and recovery on the original producers or distributors of the items.

[[WEEE]] was first introduced by the [[WEEE Directive]] in 2002 to address the environmental impacts of unwanted electrical and electronic equipment at end-of-life and disposal. WEEE is classed as either household (primarily [[EWCChap20|EWC 20 01 35]] and [[EWCChap20|20 01 36]]) or non-household ([[EWCChap16|EWC 16 02 09* to 16]]). The objective of the Directive and its transposed legislation is to promote recycling and minimise waste by putting the emphasis for end-of-life treatment and recovery on the original producers or distributors of the items.

In the 2019-21 House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee Report<ref>[https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/3675/documents/35777/default/ Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy]</ref> it identifies the UK as the second highest generator of [[E-waste]] per person in the world, after Norway, at 23.9kg per person.

[[~~The~~ Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (as amended)]] is the ~~current~~ underpinning UK legislation <ref>~~Office for Product Safety and Standards, 2018. [~~https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment ~~Regulations: waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). GOV.UK.] [online] [Accessed 5 Dec. 2019]~~</ref>. ~~In 2020 a parlimentary enquiry called for a number of changes~~ to ~~improve~~ the ~~recycling~~ of [[~~WEEE~~]] ~~including~~ the ~~reporting by value rather than weight~~<ref>[https://~~cdn~~.ca.~~emap.com~~/~~wp-content~~/~~uploads/sites/6/2020/11~~/electronic-~~Waste~~-~~and~~-the-~~Circular~~-~~Economy.pdf Electronic Waste~~ and the ~~Circular Economy]~~</ref>.

In 2020 a parlimentary enquiry called for a number of changes to improve the recycling of [[WEEE]] including the reporting by value rather than weight<ref>[https://cdn.ca.emap.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/11/electronic-Waste-and-the-Circular-Economy.pdf Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy]</ref>.

[[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (as amended)]] is the underpinning UK legislation which were amended in the [[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment, etc.) Regulations 2025]]<ref>https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment</ref>. The 2025 amendment extended responsibility to online marketplaces and added Vapes to the categories of WEEE.

Guidance was updated by the [[EA]] in August 2025 on what WEEE is covered by the WEEE Regulations<ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-and-electronic-equipment-eee-covered-by-the-weee-regulations/electrical-and-electronic-equipment-eee-covered-by-the-weee-regulations</ref>.

===Categories===

The regulations identify 10 broad categories of WEEE, including:

The regulations identify 15 broad categories of WEEE, including:

#Large household appliances e.g. fridges, cookers, microwaves, washing machines and dishwashers

#Small household appliances e.g. vacuum cleaners, irons, toasters and clocks

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The most recent information published by [[DEFRA]] <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env23-uk-waste-data-and-management UK Statistics on Waste 2020]</ref> is summarized in the pie chart below, with 567,692 tonnes of collected discarded equipment waste identified in the UK in 2020 (WEEE being part of this category and the broader tonnage summarized in [[UK Waste Tonnage]]). The most recent data from the [[EA]]<ref name= "ref1"/> indicated that 1.6 million tonnes of Household Electronic and Electrical Equipment and 0.3 million tonnes of Non-Household Electronic and Electrical Equipment were placed on the market in 2020, of which 466,419 tonnes were collected and reported under the WEEE Regulations (as shown in the table below for January 2020 to December 2020)

[[File:WEEE Graphic.png|800px|centre|~~unframed~~]]

[[File:WEEE Graphic.png|800px|centre|frameless]]

==Tonnage Collected under the WEEE Regulations==

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| ||'''Total''' || style="text-align:right;"|278,029 || style="text-align:right;"|131,028|| style="text-align:right;"|61,797 || style="text-align:right;"|'''473,019''' || style="text-align:right;"|'''8,195'''||style="text-align:right;"|'''481,214'''

|}

===January 2024 to December 2024===

The macro numbers above do not breakdown the component elements of WEEE, but the [[EA]] data for January to December 2024 provides a more detailed breakdown for Household and Non-household WEEE<ref name= "ref1"/>.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! !! Category Name !! Household WEEE collected from a DCF<ref>This figure includes household WEEE from Designated Collection Facilities (DCFs) that has been collected by Producer Compliance Schemes, and household WEEE that DCFs have cleared themselves</ref>(tonnes) !! Household WEEE returned under regulation 43<ref>This figure includes household WEEE returned by distributors to Producer Compliance Schemes</ref> (tonnes) !! Household WEEE returned under regulation 50 <ref>This figure includes household WEEE collected through a collection system a Producer Compliance Scheme operates itself</ref>(tonnes) !! Total separately collected Household WEEE<ref>This figure is the amount of WEEE Producer Compliance Schemes have reported as being delivered to Approved Authorised Treatment Facilities and Approved Exporters on their behalf</ref>(tonnes) !! Total Non-household WEEE (tonnes)!! Total WEEE (tonnes)

|-

| 1 || Large Household Appliances || style="text-align:right;"|58,937 || style="text-align:right;"|93,756 ||style="text-align:right;"| 14,625 || style="text-align:right;"|167,316 || style="text-align:right;"|866||style="text-align:right;"|'''168,182'''

|-

| 2 || Small Household Appliances ||style="text-align:right;"| 30,306 ||style="text-align:right;"| 863 || style="text-align:right;"|4,521|| style="text-align:right;"|35,692 ||style="text-align:right;"| 43||style="text-align:right;"|'''35,735'''

|-

| 3 || IT and Telcomms Equipment|| style="text-align:right;"|27,164|| style="text-align:right;"|2,064 || style="text-align:right;"|11,180|| style="text-align:right;"|40,408 || style="text-align:right;"|977||style="text-align:right;"|'''41,385'''

|-

| 4 || Consumer Equipment|| style="text-align:right;"|18,772 ||style="text-align:right;"| 408 ||style="text-align:right;"| 3,348|| style="text-align:right;"|22,527||style="text-align:right;"| 6||style="text-align:right;"|'''22,533'''

|-

| 5 || Lighting Equipment || style="text-align:right;"|5,159 ||style="text-align:right;"| 120|| style="text-align:right;"|796||style="text-align:right;"| 6,075|| style="text-align:right;"|2,016||style="text-align:right;"|'''8,091'''

|-

| 6 || Electrical and Electronic Tools|| style="text-align:right;"|23,920 ||style="text-align:right;"| 360||style="text-align:right;"| 3,112|| style="text-align:right;"|27,392|| style="text-align:right;"|174||style="text-align:right;"|'''27,566'''

|-

| 7 || Toys Leisure and Sports || style="text-align:right;"|5,026 || style="text-align:right;"|77 ||style="text-align:right;"| 787 ||style="text-align:right;"| 5,903 ||style="text-align:right;"| 6||style="text-align:right;"|'''5,909'''

|-

| 8 ||Medical Devices || style="text-align:right;"|3|| style="text-align:right;"|3 || style="text-align:right;"|44 || style="text-align:right;"|50 || style="text-align:right;"|299||style="text-align:right;"|'''349'''

|-

| 9 || Monitoring and Control Instruments || style="text-align:right;"|1016|| style="text-align:right;"|27|| style="text-align:right;"|208 ||style="text-align:right;"| 1,251|| style="text-align:right;"|66||style="text-align:right;"|'''1,317'''

|-

| 10 ||Automatic Dispensers ||style="text-align:right;"| 0 ||style="text-align:right;"| 0 ||style="text-align:right;"| 9 ||style="text-align:right;"| 10|| style="text-align:right;"|85||style="text-align:right;"|'''95'''

|-

| 11 || Display Equipment|| style="text-align:right;"|39,180 ||style="text-align:right;"| 2,634 || style="text-align:right;"|4,960 || style="text-align:right;"|47,107 || style="text-align:right;"|17||style="text-align:right;"|'''47,124'''

|-

| 12 || Cooling Appliances Containing Refrigerants || style="text-align:right;"|78,436|| style="text-align:right;"|47,683|| style="text-align:right;"|11,922|| style="text-align:right;"|138,038 ||style="text-align:right;"|3,336||style="text-align:right;"|'''141,374'''

|-

| 13 || Gas Discharge Lamps and LED Light Sources|| style="text-align:right;"|907||style="text-align:right;"| 626 || style="text-align:right;"|2,519 || style="text-align:right;"|4,055 || style="text-align:right;"|0||style="text-align:right;"|'''4,055'''

|-

| 14 || Photovoltaic Panels || style="text-align:right;"|227 ||style="text-align:right;"| 5 || style="text-align:right;"|197|| style="text-align:right;"|428||style="text-align:right;"| 0||style="text-align:right;"|'''428'''

|-

| ||'''Total''' || style="text-align:right;"|289,053 || style="text-align:right;"|148,626|| style="text-align:right;"|58,229 || style="text-align:right;"|'''496,253''' || style="text-align:right;"|'''7,891'''||style="text-align:right;"|'''504,143'''

|}

==Local Authority Tonnage==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Tonnage & Waste Types]][[Category:Targets & Metrics]]
-[[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment]] ([[WEEE]]), also known as [[E-waste]], is end of life Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE),  i.e. items that require electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to operate. The [[EA]] reported<ref name="ref1">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-in-the-uk</ref> that 1.9 million tonnes of EEE was placed on the market in the UK in 2024, with 498,135 tonnes of [[WEEE]] collected.
+[[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment]] ([[WEEE]]), also known as [[E-waste]], is end of life Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE),  i.e. items that require electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to operate. The [[EA]] reported<ref name="ref1">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-in-the-uk</ref> that 1.9 million tonnes of EEE was placed on the market in the UK in 2024, with 504,143 tonnes of [[WEEE]] collected.
 [[File:Electrical-waste-uk.jpg|300px|left|WEEE - Picture from BioEnergy Consult, All Rights Reserved]]__TOC__
 <br clear='left'/>
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 ===Background===
-[[WEEE]] was first introduced by the [[WEEE Directive]] in 2002 to address the environmental impacts of unwanted electrical and electronic equipment at end-of-life and disposal. WEEE is classed as either household (primarily [[EWCChap20|EWC 20 01 35]] and [[EWCChap20|20 01 36]]) or non-household ([[EWCChap16|EWC 16 02 09* to 16]]). The objective of the Directive and its transposed legislation, the [[Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2007, as amended]] is to promote recycling and minimise waste by putting the emphasis for end-of-life treatment and recovery on the original producers or distributors of the items.
+[[WEEE]] was first introduced by the [[WEEE Directive]] in 2002 to address the environmental impacts of unwanted electrical and electronic equipment at end-of-life and disposal. WEEE is classed as either household (primarily [[EWCChap20|EWC 20 01 35]] and [[EWCChap20|20 01 36]]) or non-household ([[EWCChap16|EWC 16 02 09* to 16]]). The objective of the Directive and its transposed legislation is to promote recycling and minimise waste by putting the emphasis for end-of-life treatment and recovery on the original producers or distributors of the items.
 In the 2019-21 House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee Report<ref>[https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/3675/documents/35777/default/ Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy]</ref> it identifies the UK as the second highest generator of [[E-waste]] per person in the world, after Norway, at 23.9kg per person.
-[[The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (as amended)]] is the current underpinning UK legislation <ref>Office for Product Safety and Standards, 2018. [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment Regulations: waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). GOV.UK.] [online] [Accessed 5 Dec. 2019]</ref>. In 2020 a parlimentary enquiry called for a number of changes to improve the recycling of [[WEEE]] including the reporting by value rather than weight<ref>[https://cdn.ca.emap.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/11/electronic-Waste-and-the-Circular-Economy.pdf Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy]</ref>.
+In 2020 a parlimentary enquiry called for a number of changes to improve the recycling of [[WEEE]] including the reporting by value rather than weight<ref>[https://cdn.ca.emap.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/11/electronic-Waste-and-the-Circular-Economy.pdf Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy]</ref>.
+[[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (as amended)]] is the underpinning UK legislation which were amended in the [[Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment, etc.) Regulations 2025]]<ref>https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment</ref>. The 2025 amendment extended responsibility to online marketplaces and added Vapes to the categories of WEEE.
+Guidance was updated by the [[EA]] in August 2025 on what WEEE is covered by the WEEE Regulations<ref>https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-and-electronic-equipment-eee-covered-by-the-weee-regulations/electrical-and-electronic-equipment-eee-covered-by-the-weee-regulations</ref>.
 ===Categories===
-The regulations identify 10 broad categories of WEEE, including:
+The regulations identify 15 broad categories of WEEE, including:
 #Large household appliances e.g. fridges, cookers, microwaves, washing machines and dishwashers
 #Small household appliances e.g. vacuum cleaners, irons, toasters and clocks
@@ Line 34: / Line 38: @@
 The most recent information published by [[DEFRA]] <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env23-uk-waste-data-and-management UK Statistics on Waste 2020]</ref> is summarized in the pie chart below, with 567,692 tonnes of collected discarded equipment waste identified in the UK in 2020 (WEEE being part of this category and the broader tonnage summarized in [[UK Waste Tonnage]]). The most recent data from the [[EA]]<ref name= "ref1"/> indicated that 1.6 million tonnes of Household Electronic and Electrical Equipment and 0.3 million tonnes of Non-Household Electronic and Electrical Equipment were placed on the market in 2020, of which 466,419 tonnes were collected and reported under the WEEE Regulations (as shown in the table below for January 2020 to December 2020)
-[[File:WEEE Graphic.png|800px|centre|unframed]]
+[[File:WEEE Graphic.png|800px|centre|frameless]]
 ==Tonnage Collected under the WEEE Regulations==
@@ Line 190: / Line 195: @@
 | ||'''Total''' || style="text-align:right;"|278,029 || style="text-align:right;"|131,028|| style="text-align:right;"|61,797 || style="text-align:right;"|'''473,019''' || style="text-align:right;"|'''8,195'''||style="text-align:right;"|'''481,214'''
 |}
+===January 2024 to December 2024===
+The macro numbers above do not breakdown the component elements of WEEE, but the [[EA]] data for January to December 2024 provides a more detailed breakdown for Household and Non-household WEEE<ref name= "ref1"/>.
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+!  !! Category Name !! Household WEEE collected from a DCF<ref>This figure includes household WEEE from Designated Collection Facilities (DCFs) that has been collected by Producer Compliance Schemes, and household WEEE that DCFs have cleared themselves</ref>(tonnes) !! Household WEEE returned under regulation 43<ref>This figure includes household WEEE returned by distributors to Producer Compliance Schemes</ref> (tonnes) !! Household WEEE returned under regulation 50 <ref>This figure includes household WEEE collected through a collection system a Producer Compliance Scheme operates itself</ref>(tonnes) !! Total separately collected Household WEEE<ref>This figure is the amount of WEEE Producer Compliance Schemes have reported as being delivered to Approved Authorised Treatment Facilities and Approved Exporters on their behalf</ref>(tonnes) !! Total Non-household WEEE (tonnes)!! Total WEEE (tonnes)
+|-
+| 1 || Large Household Appliances || style="text-align:right;"|58,937 || style="text-align:right;"|93,756 ||style="text-align:right;"| 14,625 || style="text-align:right;"|167,316 || style="text-align:right;"|866||style="text-align:right;"|'''168,182'''
+|-
+| 2 || Small Household Appliances ||style="text-align:right;"| 30,306 ||style="text-align:right;"| 863 || style="text-align:right;"|4,521|| style="text-align:right;"|35,692 ||style="text-align:right;"| 43||style="text-align:right;"|'''35,735'''
+|-
+| 3 || IT and Telcomms Equipment|| style="text-align:right;"|27,164|| style="text-align:right;"|2,064 || style="text-align:right;"|11,180|| style="text-align:right;"|40,408 || style="text-align:right;"|977||style="text-align:right;"|'''41,385'''
+|-
+| 4 || Consumer Equipment|| style="text-align:right;"|18,772 ||style="text-align:right;"| 408 ||style="text-align:right;"| 3,348|| style="text-align:right;"|22,527||style="text-align:right;"| 6||style="text-align:right;"|'''22,533'''
+|-
+| 5 || Lighting Equipment || style="text-align:right;"|5,159 ||style="text-align:right;"| 120|| style="text-align:right;"|796||style="text-align:right;"| 6,075|| style="text-align:right;"|2,016||style="text-align:right;"|'''8,091'''
+|-
+| 6 || Electrical and Electronic Tools|| style="text-align:right;"|23,920 ||style="text-align:right;"| 360||style="text-align:right;"| 3,112|| style="text-align:right;"|27,392|| style="text-align:right;"|174||style="text-align:right;"|'''27,566'''
+|-
+| 7 || Toys Leisure and Sports || style="text-align:right;"|5,026 || style="text-align:right;"|77 ||style="text-align:right;"| 787 ||style="text-align:right;"| 5,903 ||style="text-align:right;"| 6||style="text-align:right;"|'''5,909'''
+|-
+| 8 ||Medical Devices || style="text-align:right;"|3|| style="text-align:right;"|3 || style="text-align:right;"|44 || style="text-align:right;"|50 || style="text-align:right;"|299||style="text-align:right;"|'''349'''
+|-
+| 9 || Monitoring and Control Instruments || style="text-align:right;"|1016|| style="text-align:right;"|27|| style="text-align:right;"|208 ||style="text-align:right;"| 1,251|| style="text-align:right;"|66||style="text-align:right;"|'''1,317'''
+|-
+| 10 ||Automatic Dispensers ||style="text-align:right;"| 0 ||style="text-align:right;"| 0 ||style="text-align:right;"| 9 ||style="text-align:right;"| 10|| style="text-align:right;"|85||style="text-align:right;"|'''95'''
+|-
+| 11 || Display Equipment|| style="text-align:right;"|39,180 ||style="text-align:right;"| 2,634 || style="text-align:right;"|4,960 || style="text-align:right;"|47,107 || style="text-align:right;"|17||style="text-align:right;"|'''47,124'''
+|-
+| 12 || Cooling Appliances Containing Refrigerants || style="text-align:right;"|78,436|| style="text-align:right;"|47,683|| style="text-align:right;"|11,922|| style="text-align:right;"|138,038 ||style="text-align:right;"|3,336||style="text-align:right;"|'''141,374'''
+|-
+| 13 || Gas Discharge Lamps and LED Light Sources|| style="text-align:right;"|907||style="text-align:right;"| 626 || style="text-align:right;"|2,519 || style="text-align:right;"|4,055 || style="text-align:right;"|0||style="text-align:right;"|'''4,055'''
+|-
+| 14 || Photovoltaic Panels || style="text-align:right;"|227 ||style="text-align:right;"| 5 || style="text-align:right;"|197|| style="text-align:right;"|428||style="text-align:right;"| 0||style="text-align:right;"|'''428'''
+|-
+| ||'''Total''' || style="text-align:right;"|289,053 || style="text-align:right;"|148,626|| style="text-align:right;"|58,229 || style="text-align:right;"|'''496,253''' || style="text-align:right;"|'''7,891'''||style="text-align:right;"|'''504,143'''
+|}
 ==Local Authority Tonnage==