E-waste: generation, collection, awareness

Abstract

European Union has underwritten to reduce the generation and to increase the amount of recycled WEEE. This work analyses the generation and processing tendencies of WEEE in Baltic countries, to evaluate the attitudes and habits of students and pupils regarding WEEE in Lithuania. Analysis showed that WEEE has decreased in 2008 in Baltic countries due to global economic crisis. But new EEE released to the internal market, e-waste collection, sorting and recycling has been on increase since 2009. Most of collected WEEE is large home appliances, IT and telecommunication equipment, monitoring and control devices. Estonia successfully implemented the EU Directive 2002/96/EC and has collected 4.2 kg/capita of WEEE already in 2010, in Lithuania only in 2012 4.48 kg/capita of WEEE was collected. The survey showed that 74.7% respondents need information about EEE, as respondents do not know exactly what is classified as EEE. Even 67% of pupils and 69% of students attributed batteries and accumulators to EEE. 55% of pupils and 48% of the students indicated that the toys with batteries are also attributed to EEE (though they are not). 21% of respondents stated discarding small WEEE together with municipal waste. 69.7% of the respondents indicated that more collection points are needed. Respondents, living in flats (χ²=0.98, p<0.05) and women (χ²=7.79, p<0.1) more often said, that there is not enough infrastructure to sort and give out WEEE.