Mapping Waste Electrical Material Flow for Material Focus
Situation
A significant volume of electrical items ends up as waste in the UK. Despite this, there is a lack of information on the difference between the weight of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) placed on the UK market and the weight of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) that is collected and treated.
Anthesis was commissioned by Material Focus in 2024 to update a report we previously developed, mapping the current state of unreported reuse, collection, storage, treatment, and disposal of WEEE using refreshed data.
Solution
Updating the research and report included:
- Data analysis: Anthesis carried out desktop research to map the major flows of electricals onto and off the UK market. Research involved data analysis and stakeholder interviews.
- Inventory development: We developed a robust inventory of the different ways working electricals and waste electricals flow through the UK economy.
- Additional insights: The research integrated selected sources of new information and new supplementary market insights back into the context of measuring EEE and WEEE flow volumes and amounts.
Impacts
New Findings
The project found that 2.2 million tonnes of electricals are bought or put on the market, with 880 million items remaining held onto unused in UK homes. This was identified as a major cause for the discrepancy between electricals placed on the market and waste electrical entering the recycling stream.
Regulatory Influence
The research has influenced national understanding of the UK’s electrical waste challenge, feeding into government consultations and regulatory considerations, including reforms to WEEE regulations. In addition, the findings have supported communication activity by Material Focus.
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