Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment: WEEE@school

Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing solid waste streams in the world. Less than a quarter of e-waste produced globally in 2022 was known to be formally recycled; however, e-waste streams contain valuable and finite resources that can be reused if recycled properly. Electronic waste is addressed in many European policies, including the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Eco-Design Directive. The EU WEEE Directive has set a target of a 65% minimum collection rate and calls for preventing the creation of WEEE, contributing to the efficient use of resources and the retrieval of secondary raw materials through re-use, recycling and other forms of recovery and improving the environmental performance of everyone involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic items. This good practice shows a great way of raising awareness about the issues among students and children, which also leads to improved collection. It is a practice which can be transferred to other regions. The practice can provide helpful insight to other regions and cities motivated to improve the knowledge and raise awareness about collection, treatment and recycling of electronics at the end of their life.