WEEE Observatory 2025: Electronic Waste Between Awareness and Ongoing Challenges
The issue of WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment – is becoming increasingly central to sustainability. Smartphones, chargers, small appliances: objects we use every day which, at the end of their life, turn into both an environmental challenge and a resource for the circular economy.
According to data published in July by the RAEE Observatory 2025, created by the RAEE Coordination Center (CdC RAEE), awareness in Italy is growing:
– 58% of Italians know the acronym WEEE;
– 45% can correctly explain what it means.
An encouraging result, showing the effectiveness of awareness campaigns. But the road is still long: too many citizens still don’t know where to take broken small devices, which often end up in unsorted trash or forgotten in drawers.
Fewer mistakes, but small WEEE remain a problem
Monitoring shows a positive trend: incorrect disposal (WEEE thrown into plastic or general waste) has dropped to 10%, an all-time low.
However, some everyday items still fall into “grey areas”:
– electric toothbrushes: incorrectly disposed of in 27% of cases;
– electronic toys: 17%;
– smartwatches and wearables: 14%.
These are “dispersive” devices, easy to forget or dispose of incorrectly. Yet they contain copper, lithium, gold, and other critical raw materials that, if discarded in general waste, are lost forever – while recovering them would feed new production chains.
Young people falling behind: the “sustainability digital divide”
The most concerning figure relates to young people aged 18–26: only 40% have heard of WEEE and just 27% know its definition. Moreover, incorrect disposal in this age group reaches 16%, well above the national average.
This is paradoxical, considering young people are the heaviest consumers of technology. The solution? Bringing the message into their digital spaces through short videos, creators, challenges like #EmptyYourTechDrawer, push notifications from retailer apps, and gamification projects in schools and campuses.
“One-for-zero” and “one-for-one” services: tools to use more
Awareness of available services is also growing: 51% of Italians know they can hand in small WEEE (≤25 cm) free of charge at large retailers, without making a purchase (“one-for-zero”).
At the same time, 80% are aware of the environmental risks of incorrect disposal.
Still, communication about existing tools needs to be strengthened:
– with “one-for-one,” when you buy a new device, the store must take back the equivalent old one free of charge;
– product pages online or printed flyers should always clearly display information about WEEE take-back;
– and a key reminder: always delete personal data from devices before returning them.
Italy and the EU: targets still far off
At the European level, the picture is complex: the average WEEE collection rate in the EU stands at 47% (Eurostat 2021), far below the 65% target set by Directive 2012/19/EU.
Only a few countries have reached the target, while preparation for reuse remains marginal (around 1%).
For Italy, the message is twofold: on one hand, knowledge and correct behaviors are increasing; on the other, greater capture of small WEEE is needed, as well as tackling untracked flows and expanding take-back services.
Concrete examples of circular economy in WEEE
There are already real cases in the WEEE sector showing that the transition is possible.
MediaWorld and Unieuro have strengthened WEEE take-back programs in their stores, with dedicated corners for small devices and free one-for-one services linked to new purchases.
The City of Milan, through AMSA, has created a digital map of WEEE collection centers, accessible via website and app, helping citizens easily find the nearest drop-off point.
These experiences demonstrate that when information and services are widespread, results improve, and WEEE turns from waste into a resource.
What to do now: practical (and SEO) actions to boost collection
Turning progress into collected kilograms requires simple, repeated micro-actions:
1. Privacy-first: practical guides such as “How to erase data from your smartphone before disposal.”
2. Creators & schools: formats like “empty your tech backpack” and educational workshops with quizzes and prizes made from recycled materials.
3. Declutter the drawer: seasonal “tech decluttering” campaigns (Black Friday, spring, back-to-school) with checklists for cables, earphones, power banks, electric toothbrushes.
4. Local routes: landing pages by city and neighborhood, with maps of collection points and geo-localized keywords (where to dispose of chargers Milan, smartphone recycling Rome).
5. Retail & e-commerce: “WEEE take-back included” badges on product pages and banners like “Bring your small WEEE here (one-for-zero)” on homepages.
Conclusion: WEEE as an opportunity
The RAEE Observatory 2025 shows an Italy that is more aware and less prone to mistakes, but still facing crucial challenges: bridging the generational gap, increasing small-device collection, expanding services, and improving communication.
Every charger disposed of correctly, every smartwatch taken to a collection point represents not just one less piece of waste, but a secondary raw material re-entering the cycle.
In this journey, organizations like Tondo play a valuable role: promoting knowledge, fostering dialogue between businesses and citizens, and building collaborative ecosystems to accelerate the transition.
Because WEEE is not a problem to hide in a drawer, but a real opportunity for the circular economy.
