E-waste: 12.3kg per person collected in the EU in 2024; 32.4kg of new products put on the market

In 2024, 12.3 kg of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE, or e-waste) was collected per person in the EU. By comparison, 32.4 kg per person of new electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), such as household appliances, smartphones and computers, was placed on the EU market the same year, according to data released by Eurostat on 14 October 2026.

Eurostat attributes this gap to a growing stock of products in circulation, “either because they are still in use, awaiting disposal, being hoarded at home or lost to informal, unmonitored waste treatment”. Between 2015 and 2024, the amount of EEE placed on the EU market rose by 79%, driven by large equipment such as washing machines, dishwashers and photovoltaic panels. E-waste collection, by contrast, “has grown more slowly, rising…