The study "Quantification of waste electrical and electronic equipment generated in Romania, comparative situation 2019 vs 2015", conducted by Sofies UK, with the support of the National Institute for Economic Research, at the request of ECOTIC, was launched on Tuesday, October 29 at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Municipality of Bucharest, 5 years after the first report of this kind.
In Romania in 2019, one person owns an average of 91 kg of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), increasing by 20 kg compared to 2015, but less than half compared to a person in Italy or France. Of these, 7,2 kg are stored even if they are not used or functional, and 8,3 kg / person are removed from the house as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
Of the latter, 34% (2,8 kg) are donated or sold and thus their lifespan is extended.
36% (3 kg) are disposed of in an appropriate manner: in stores following the purchase of new products, at municipal collection points and in various campaigns or collection points carried out by producer organizations.
But 25% are under the umbrella negative habits: taken to the garbage dumps, handed over to the scrap metal street collectors or thrown at random, an aspect that leads both to the dispersion of pollutants in the environment and to the risk of not reaching the targets assumed by Romania as a member of the European Union.
As Federico Magalini, Sofies stated: “It was very interesting to collaborate again with ECOTIC and to highlight the current situation of WEEE collection in Romania. The ambitious collection targets set by the WEEE Directive are clearly difficult to achieve and I hope that this study will facilitate a national debate and provide a step forward. "
The study manages to capture essential data related to the real quantities of WEEE generated in Romania at the population level, as well as to the habits of the population related to the way of disposing of this type of waste. For example, in 2019, the waste generated by households in Romania is estimated to be 8,3 kg / person (compared to 7,35 kg in 2015), while the amounts of WEEE estimated to be collected are 3,1 kg / person. person at a national target of 5,4 kg / person.
An important element that the study highlights is the habit of the population to donate or sell the equipment they no longer need and which are still functional. 34% (by weight) of what comes out of households goes to relatives / friends / buyers.
On the other hand, only 3 kg / person reach the formal collection systems: at the collection points owned by the local authorities, present in not very large numbers, at the profile shops or in collection campaigns carried out by the producers' representatives.
2,1 kg / person (about 40.000 tons of WEEE) end up being disposed of incorrectly, in the ways described above, which is the result of two factors: low awareness and lack of appropriate disposal solutions at the local level.
These figures put Romania in a difficult situation, especially in the context in which, starting with 2021, the targets increase from 45% (applied to the average EEE placed on the market in the last 3 years) to 65%. The WEEE Directive 2012/19 / EU allows the adoption of a target of 85% of generated WEEE and which, apparently, is more plausible if we remove from the calculation what is reused, but the data that enter the generated WEEE calculation algorithm need to be revised.
Study 2019 Romanian version here
Study 2019 English version here
Presentation Federico Magalini - Sofies
Presentation Victor Platon - National Institute of Economic Research
You can consult the 2015 study here