In 2023, 11.6 kg of waste from electrical and electronic equipment per inhabitant were collected in the community space
Portugal was the third country in the European Union that collected the least electronic waste in 2023, with an average of 5.8 kilograms per inhabitant, compared to 11.6 kilograms of discarded equipment on average across Member States.
Data published by the European Union (EU) statistical office, Eurostat, reveal that, in 2023, 11.6 kg of waste electrical and electronic equipment per inhabitant were collected in the community, including household appliances, smart cell phones and computers.
In the same year, 32.2 kg of new electrical and electronic equipment were placed on the market per person.
“This difference of 20.6 kg per inhabitant reflects an increase in the ‘stock’ of devices, either because they are still in use, awaiting disposal, stored at home or lost in informal and uncontrolled waste treatment processes”, according to Eurostat.
Among EU countries, the lowest values of e-waste collected per person were recorded in Cyprus (3.8 kg per person), Malta and Portugal (5.8 kg per person each), while the highest were recorded in Bulgaria (17.9 kg), the Czech Republic (16.8 kg) and Austria (15.9 kg).
According to Eurostat, between 2015 and 2023, the amount of electronic waste placed on the market in the EU increased by 78%, from 18.1 kg per person in 2015 to 32.2 kg in 2023.
In the same period, from 2015 to 2023, the collection of electronic waste increased by 60%, from 7.3 kg to 11.6 kg per person, “showing slower growth than the volume of new equipment placed on the market”, says the community statistical office.
