Electronic waste should be treated as a key resource for the Polish economy, and new regulations at the European Union and Polish levels aim to strengthen this approach. This was the main conclusion of the parliamentary conference “Electronic Waste – From Pollution to Resource. 20 Years of Legislation,” which summarized twenty years of the functioning of the Polish system for managing used electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and indicated the need for further changes.
The conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Act on Used Electrical and Electronic Equipment was held on December 16 at the Sejm under the patronage of Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Dorota Niedziela and Marshal of the Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska. The event was organized by ElektroEko S.A. and UNEP/GRID-Warsaw, cooperating with the chairpersons of parliamentary subcommittees: MP Gabriela Lenartowicz (Permanent Subcommittee for Waste Management Monitoring) and MP Andrzej Grzyb (Permanent Subcommittee for the Implementation of the European Green Deal).
The conference also referred to the idea of the International E-waste Day, emphasizing the importance of simple and accessible collection methods as a condition for effective change. During the discussion, participants considered ways to increase the recovery of raw materials from electronic waste, to streamline the rules and data within the system, and to adapt it to rapidly changing technologies and new types of waste. The talks referred, among others, to the findings of the “Global E-waste Monitor 2024” and the report “20 Years of the WEEE System in Poland: Diagnosis, Challenges, and Recommendations” prepared this autumn by ElektroEko.
Electronic Waste as an Indicator of a Modern State
Current Eurostat data indicate that in 2023, on average in the EU, 11.6 kg of electronic waste per capita was collected, corresponding to a collection rate of 37.5% relative to equipment placed on the market. In Poland, however, this level is already 15.2 kg per capita, which translates to about a 45% collection rate.
Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Dorota Niedziela noted that electronic waste has ceased to be a marginal issue in waste management. It has become a test of a state’s modernity, combining climate policy, raw material security, and industrial competitiveness.
“For many years, we treated broken washing machines, refrigerators, and other devices as troublesome waste. Today we know they contain valuable raw materials, including rare earth elements that are crucial for the economy. We have begun to recognize the value of residues from used equipment. Resource recovery has become a real economic sector, and worldwide there is growing pressure for independence not only in energy but also in raw materials. That is why turning towards recycling and utilizing already possessed resources is so important” – explained Dorota Niedziela.
20 Years of the WEEE System – Solid Infrastructure, Weaker Control, and Data
MP Gabriela Lenartowicz emphasized that the ElektroEko report provides an additional impetus for a renewed analysis of systemic solutions in the WEEE area, thanking the authors for its preparation. She pointed out discrepancies between the amount of equipment introduced to the market and the amount formally recovered, calling for the unification of methods for calculating collection and recovery levels in the EU so that data are consistent and comparable between countries. She added that the discussion about electronic waste concerns not only waste management but also raw material recovery, including critical ones that drive the economy, and the need to organize regulations concerning extended producer responsibility.
“We need systemic regulatory solutions. Currently, there are no uniform methods for calculating how much equipment enters the market, how much is collected, and what portion is processed and actually returns to recycling. This is a problem not only in Poland but throughout Europe: data are calculated differently, which hinders comparison and evaluation of system effectiveness. At the EU level, awareness of this gap is growing, and work is underway on solutions to eliminate it” – reported Gabriela Lenartowicz.
MP Andrzej Grzyb, chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee for the Implementation of the European Green Deal, pointed to European analyses that clearly show that neither Poland nor Europe has an excess of elements classified as critical raw materials. Therefore, each should be recovered to the maximum extent.
“Above all, we must convince equipment users to hand over their devices to legal collection and recycling systems after use. Without this change, we will continue to lose valuable raw materials essential for the functioning of modern industry. This direction is supported by the EU circular economy: we are moving away from thinking about waste and transitioning to perceiving raw materials within the supply chain. At the same time, designing products with repairability in mind is crucial. If something cannot be sensibly repaired, it is even more important to efficiently transfer used equipment for recovery” – argued Andrzej Grzyb.
From Tons in Reports to Real Raw Materials for the Economy
Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Climate and Environment Anita Sowińska announced the adjustment of Polish regulations to the requirements of the CRMA and new recycling support tools at the EU level. She emphasized that the coming years should shift the focus from the mere mass of collected electronic waste to the quality of recovered raw materials and limiting the profitability of the grey market.
“The Polish government will support the domestic industry – both recycling and raw material recovery, as well as the production of household appliances. We declare full support in this area. The European Union currently places special emphasis on critical raw materials. The direction is clear: closing loops so that both the EU and Poland can strengthen the security of supply of critical raw materials, including metals. At the same time, we observe a second, growing challenge: preparing the system for new waste streams that are currently still small but will grow rapidly. This concerns, among others, photovoltaic panels, wind power plant components, and heat pumps – and this area requires consistent development” – emphasized Anita Sowińska.
Industry Perspective: The Second System Reform
Market perspective was presented by Grzegorz Skrzypczak, President of the Management Board of ElektroEko Organization for the Recovery of Electrical and Electronic Equipment S.A., the largest organization of this type in Poland, who pointed out the need for a “second reform” of the WEEE system – not only from the environmental protection perspective but also for the efficiency of critical raw material recovery.
“Twenty years ago, we were building the system almost from scratch. Today, the used equipment economy is one of the fastest-growing segments of the waste industry and simultaneously one of the best-developing sectors of the economy in Poland. Electronic waste contains many elements recognized by the EU as strategic – from copper and aluminum to rare earth metals – but we still lose a significant portion of them” – said Grzegorz Skrzypczak. “Subsequent stages of changes should introduce precise indicators, ensure full transparency of flows, and enable accounting for recycling quality, not just its mass. Electronic waste should be treated as a strategic resource, not merely an item to be checked off in reports” – he added.
Education: From Students to the Boardroom
In the education section, Maria Andrzejewska, General Director of UNEP/GRID-Warsaw, referred to data from the “Global E-waste Monitor 2024,” according to which approximately 62 million tons of electronic waste were generated worldwide in 2022, of which only 22.3% went to formal collection and recycling. She pointed out that education about electronic waste must encompass the entire society – consumers, local governments, companies, and public institutions – and be linked to real, easily accessible collection solutions. She also referred to the International E-waste Day, whose this year’s edition was held under the slogan “Hand over e-waste for recycling. Help recover raw materials” and showed that combining a simple message with the possibility of handing over equipment “here and now” significantly increases engagement.
“Electronic waste is currently one of the fastest-growing environmental challenges and, at the same time, a huge, untapped raw material potential. Knowledge alone is not enough – education must go hand in hand with simple and accessible solutions that allow used equipment to be handed over at the right time and place. It is also crucial to use diverse communication forms to reach a wide audience and genuinely influence attitudes and daily decisions” – appealed Maria Andrzejewska.
Direction for the Future
At the conclusion, participants emphasized that Poland today has solid infrastructure and experience gained through 20 years of system operation. However, the next stage is the “second reform” – focused not on the quantity of tons in reports but on the actual recovery of raw materials, flow tightness, transparency, and comparability of data. Simultaneously, the system must be prepared for new streams of equipment and waste, which will rapidly grow with the energy transition.
The solution is simple: electronic waste is to become a stable source of raw materials for the European economy and an element of its raw material security. This requires the cooperation of all participants in the chain – from design and production, through effective collection and enforcement of rules, to education, which translates into the daily decision to hand over equipment to the legal system.