A Romanian holds, on average, 72 kg of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Of this total, some 7.35 kilos (per person) are disposed as electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE) per year, only 1.2-1.5 kg of which are treated and collected properly, according to a study conducted by ECOTIC and United Nations University - Institute for Advanced Sustainability Research, financed with grants from the Norwegian state.

Romania should reach a WEEE collection rate of at least 85%, or 6.2 kilos per person, by 2021, according to EU Directives.

"A maximum of 30% of the generated WEEE is collected within the official collection systems and is reported as national result, 21% are given to relatives and friends, and the rest are the so-called bad habit disposals: WEEE are taken to the waste bins, handed over to street collectors of scrap or randomly discarded. This is the real scenery of WEEE generation, collection, and recycling in Romania," reads the study.

When it comes to collecting and recycling electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE), the reported performances are relatively low and place Romania at the bottom of the list of EU member states. Moreover, so far it hasn't been determined exactly how much WEEE is generated in Romania and where this waste ends up.

According to the study, the electrical and electronic equipment waste that ends up in improper collection systems (about 70,000 tons), have a harmful impact on the environment and public health. This kind of waste has pollutants that are not recovered and neutralized if it ends up in an improper place.

Moreover, all the equipment that is not included in the authorized flow represents missed opportunities for the recycling industry.

The full report is available here.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com