Christmas is synonymous with gifts, and among the most popular ones that are placed under the tree include smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, Bluetooth earphones, and many other household appliances and electronic devices, many of which are powered by batteries. Even if there are no precise estimates dedicated to the Christmas period alone, we can imagine that an important portion of the over 62 million tons of WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) produced in 2022 worldwide (estimate included in the 2024 edition of the Global UN E-Waste Monitor 2024) is attributable to the last month of the year. With the arrival of new devices, many devices are put aside or discarded without considering that they become important waste to be recycled. If we add to this the fact that WEEE and used batteries are not always disposed of correctly, it is clear that the situation is worrying. In light of this, it is therefore essential to understand that each of us has a fundamental role in ensuring that these particular types of waste are sent for recycling in the correct way.
The numbers of WEEE recycling in Italy
According to the 2023 annual report carried out by the WEEE Coordination Center (CdC RAEE), last year 349,345 tonnes of waste from electrical and electronic equipment were collected, a result down by 3.1% compared to 2022 (361,381 tonnes of WEEE collected), when there was a decrease of 6.2% compared to 2021 (385,258 tonnes of WEEE collected). How is the situation going in 2024? Even if compared to 2023 there seems to have been a slight improvement as can be seen from the graph on the RAEE CdC’s interactive raeeitalia.it platform, there is still a lot of work to be done.
Why dispose of WEEE and used batteries correctly
Failure or incorrect collection of WEEE and used batteries (for the record, the two types of waste are not part of the same disposal and recovery chain, therefore, when it is possible to extract the batteries from an electronic device, it is necessary to make one separate collection), can cause damage to our planet and also to our health. WEEE, in fact, can contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium which, if they end up in unequipped landfills, can infiltrate the ground and contaminate aquifers. The same applies to exhausted batteries, which can release elements harmful to the natural environment, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, altering the chemical balance of the soil and water in which they end up. Not to mention the possible pollutants released into the atmosphere. The abandonment of WEEE and batteries in general landfills, especially in countries where waste is still burned in the open (such as those in developing countries), leads to the release of dangerous volatile chemicals, including dioxins and furans, which contribute to air pollution and climate change. And speaking of climate, failure to start recycling WEEE and batteries can seriously damage natural ecosystems, such as seas, forests, lakes and rivers, which suffer serious alterations when they are contaminated with toxic substances. Living organisms, from fish to birds, can suffer poisoning, with cascading effects on biodiversity and the balance of natural habitats. Not to mention the fact that recycling WEEE correctly avoids the extraction of rare earths and other natural elements necessary for the production of new devices and objects. Recycling batteries can also have huge benefits. Suffice it to say that for every ton of alkaline batteries collected, it is possible to recover over 300 kg of zinc and 250 kg of iron and nickel with which to manufacture cutlery, photovoltaic panels, batteries and even car license plates.
How to dispose of WEEE correctly
To properly dispose of WEEE it is important to understand that not all waste electrical and electronic equipment is the same. In this regard, to dispose of this type of waste it is useful to follow the classification established by Decree 40 of 20 February 2023 and the related application interpretation developed by the WEEE CdC in agreement with the MASE (Ministry of the Environment and Energy Safety), which we propose again below.
Grouping 1 – Refrigerating equipment: refrigerators; freezers; air conditioners; dehumidifiers; heat pumps; oil radiators; dryers.
Grouping 2 – Other large whites: washing machines; dishwasher; cooking appliances, electric stoves and electric hotplates.
Grouping 3 – TVs and monitors: screens; televisions; LCD digital photo frames; monitors; laptops and notebooks.
Grouping 4 – IT and small household appliances: kitchen appliances (fryers, blenders, toasters, etc.); personal care appliances (hairdryers, electric toothbrushes, electric razors, etc.); entertainment and IT equipment (electrical and electronic toys, radios, mobile phones, headphones, USB sticks, etc.); other appliances such as vacuum cleaners, fans, thermostats, microwave ovens.
Grouping 5 – Light sources: fluorescent tubes; compact fluorescent lamps; high density discharge lamps; low pressure sodium vapor lamps; LEDs.
If you think it is too complicated to understand which of these categories to place a certain electronic waste in, you will be happy to know that by going to this page of the CdC RAEE website you can select the EEE (i.e. the electrical or electronic equipment) from the appropriate menu which has become waste, i.e. WEEE) of your interest and on the right side of the page the correct grouping among those we have listed above will appear in the appropriate box. Once you understand what type of waste you have in your hands, you can proceed with its correct recycling, all free of charge and conveniently. Many don’t know it, but disposing of WEEE correctly is very simple, as you have the following possibilities:
“1 for 1” collection method: when you buy a new appliance, the electronics store from which you purchase (even online) is obliged by law to collect the “old” EEE. “1 for 0” collection method: you can take WEEE less than 25cm in size to any electronics shop that is larger than 400m2 (clearly without any obligation to purchase anything). Municipal collection centre: you can bring WEEE of any size and type to the so-called “ecological island” of the municipality in which you reside.
How to correctly dispose of used batteries and accumulators
Since WEEE and used batteries are two distinct types of waste, as we have already said before, it is now important to understand how to correctly dispose of batteries and accumulators. Also because we Italians, according to the statistics released by Eurostat, are among the leading producers of this type of waste. Suffice it to say that we went from selling 27,893 tons of batteries and accumulators in 2009 to over 31,812 tons in 2022. Overall, in Europe, in 2022, approximately 244,000 tons of portable batteries and accumulators and 111,000 tons of portable batteries and accumulators were sold used were collected as recyclable waste.
European sector legislation provides that today at least 45% of the portable batteries and accumulators placed on the market must be collected (today Italy is around 30%) and that at least 73% must be reached by the end of 2030. Portable batteries and accumulators (which we commonly call rechargeable batteries) are all those small batteries that we find in most of our everyday equipment: penlight and mini-stylus batteries, present for example in remote controls and computer mice, button cells in watches or children’s toys, up to the batteries present in consumer electronics (notebooks and telephones). Once they have reached the end of their life cycle, these batteries must not be thrown away with unsorted waste, nor with WEEE.
