09/01/2026

Purpose of the Report

The report prepared by ElektroEko and the WEEE Forum analyses extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems in the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) economy in selected European countries, comparing their effectiveness with the Polish model. The study was prepared in the context of growing environmental, economic, and legislative challenges, as well as fiscal mechanisms planned by the European Union related to uncollected electronic waste. The conclusions and recommendations are based on the experience of countries with the highest collection and recycling rates in order to indicate directions for building a stable, effective, and socially acceptable system in Poland.

Scale of the Problem

Waste electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest growing waste stream in the world. In 2022, global e-waste reached a record high of 62 million tons, of which only 22.3% was properly collected and recycled. Despite having the highest collection rate in the world (42.8%), Europe still faces a significant collection gap. In Poland, the collection rate increased from 3 kg/capita in 2010 to 14.6 kg in 2022, but the system still suffers from limited transparency, the presence of parallel streams, and conflicts of interest resulting from the capital links between PROs and treatment plants.

Key Findings

An analysis of European experience shows that there is no single universal model for a national extended producer responsibility (EPR) system for WEEE. However, effective solutions share common elements: a strong role for producers, financial transparency, central – though not state – coordination, mandatory participation of all market players, and enforcement of WEEE transfer exclusively to authorised entities. Models based on excessive centralisation, such as state monopolies, carry the risk of reduced transparency, underfunding, and lower collection rates, as well as uncontrolled cost increases and corruption.

 

Download the report here