The results of the collection of WEEE – electrical and electronic waste – in Italy are far from the goals set at the European level, so our country has been left by the European Commission.
Last year, i electronics and electronic waste (WEEE) saved 350,000 tonnes, far from the target of around 780,000 tonnes (which is 65% of the average weight of new equipment placed on the market in the last three years).
However, the causes of this problem in our collection system have been known for years and have been identified many times through studies, research and surveys (the last one done by Altroconsumo with the company Erion Weee – which handles over two thirds of the total WEEE collected by the common Italian system – Raee: who knows).
Therefore, now, with a letter sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union, the European Commission has asked the Italian Government to provide explanations about this failure to within two months.
Almost at the same time, the Labor Committee of the Chamber of Deputies decided to back two changes that will allow the electronic and electrical waste collection chain to work more forward, without burdening the public budget .
Problems of WEEE collection in Italy
According to Erion Weee consortiumThe problem with the current WEEE collection system is that the Italian law (Legislative Decree 49/2014) assigns collection tasks to be carried out by Local Authorities and Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) vendors. , but it does not require these subjects to provide WEEE to the Consortia established by the EEE Producers.
Local authorities and consumers can transfer the collected WEEE to a company that has the authority to treat this waste. The result of this regulation is a massive hemorrhage of WEEE.
For example, in group R2 (washing machines, dishwashers, ovens …) in about 90% of cases a new appliance was purchased when the old one was released, compared to 253,000 tonnes of new products were placed on the market. in 2023, it is reasonable to expect around 227,000 tonnes of WEEE.
But the local authorities and consumers have given only 121,000 tonnes to the Consortia Producers: there is no information on the lost tonnes (over 100,000).
Similarly, in group R1 (refrigerators and freezers – without considering the air conditioner) there are also 50,000 tonnes of WEEE that were not delivered to the Consortia Producers and disappeared without being detected.
In addition, a lot of WEEE – especially small products – is lost as a result Citizens’ lack of awareness of the importance of separate waste collection: a survey carried out periodically by Ipsos for Erion Weee shows that 4 out of 10 Italians do not know the meaning of the acronym WEEE and 5 out of 10 do not know the existence of a single collection service- no-zero.
That is why, according to the consortium, urgent action must be taken on three fronts:
- to bring WEEE collection closer to the citizens, eliminating unnecessary commercial facilities.
- implement public awareness campaigns
- empower field managers to see where the same flow of products ends
Photos available: Depositphotos