E-waste in the EU: 12.3 kg per person – a plain-language guide to Eurostat’s 2024 figures, and where Hungary stands

In 2024, 12.3 kilograms of electrical and electronic waste per person was collected separately across the European Union, according to data Eurostat released on 14 October 2026 – International E-Waste Day. On its own, that number shows progress. But it needs to be read next to another one: in the same year, 32.4 kilograms of new electrical and electronic equipment per person was placed on the EU market. E-waste in the EU is flowing back into the system far more slowly than new devices are flowing in. Hungary did not even report data, so its figures were estimated by Eurostat – and they do not paint a good picture.

In short: E-waste in the EU amounted to 12.3 kg of collected waste per person in 2024, while 32.4 kg of new equipment per person was placed on the market. Bulgaria, Czechia and France collected the most, while Hungary did not report any 2024 data and, according to Eurostat’s estimate, collected only 8.2 kg per person.

E-waste in the EU: the key numbers at a glance

Eurostat’s figures are based on data that member states report under the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU). Electrical and electronic equipment means anything that needs electricity or an electromagnetic field to work – via a plug, a battery or an antenna. That covers washing machines and fridges, smartphones and laptops, hairdryers, LED lamps and smoke detectors, and even solar panels and extension cords.

The 2024 EU picture in a few figures:

• 12.3 kg per person of e-waste was collected separately, 0.7 kg more than in 2023 (11.6 kg).
• 32.4 kg per person of new equipment was placed on the market, a level that has been essentially flat since 2022.
• Between 2015 and 2024, the weight of equipment placed on the market grew by 79% (from 18.1 to 32.4 kg per person), while collected e-waste grew by only around 68% (from 7.3 to 12.3 kg per person).
• The main driver of growth was large equipment: washing machines, dishwashers and photovoltaic panels.

A simple division: in 2024, for every 100 kilograms of new equipment placed on the EU market, roughly 38 kilograms of e-waste was collected. This is not the official collection rate – more on that below – but it shows the size of the gap.

Why is the gap between purchases and returns so large?

Around 20 kilograms per person is “missing”, but it has not simply vanished. According to Eurostat, the difference points to a growing stock of equipment in households. Some devices are still in use, some are waiting to be discarded, some are gathering dust in drawers, basements and garages, and some end up in informal, unmonitored treatment channels.

Product mix matters too. A washing machine or a solar panel can run for ten to twenty years before it becomes waste, so much of what is bought today will only show up in collection statistics years from now. Still, old phones in drawers are part of the story: a recent Yettel survey shows habits are improving in Hungary, but many people still keep unused mobiles at home. And according to the WEEE Forum’s fast tech survey for International E-Waste Day 2026, nearly nine in ten Europeans own cheap gadgets, which will sooner or later end up in the waste stream as well.

Eurostat itself notes that both the amounts placed on the market and the amounts collected may be underestimated. Cross-border online sales are hard to track in full, not every producer meets its reporting obligations, and the volume of e-waste handled by the informal sector can only be estimated.

Who collects the most, and where is the gap widest?

The differences between member states are huge. In 2024, Bulgaria (18.9 kg), Czechia (17.8 kg) and France (17.7 kg) collected the most e-waste per person. At the bottom were Cyprus (4.7 kg), Portugal (6.0 kg) and Malta (6.4 kg).

For new equipment placed on the market, Austria led (38.2 kg per person), followed by Germany (38.0 kg) and Denmark (37.0 kg). The lowest amounts were recorded in Cyprus (15.4 kg), Slovakia (17.5 kg) and Greece (18.0 kg).

Putting the two indicators side by side is the most revealing. In every country with available data, more new equipment was placed on the market than e-waste was collected, but the size of the gap varies widely:

• Slovakia had the smallest gap, just 6.4 kg per person.
• Spain placed 36.0 kg of new equipment on the market against 9.3 kg of collected e-waste.
• Germany placed 38.0 kg on the market against 11.0 kg collected.

In those last two countries, the amount placed on the market was more than three times the amount collected. The lesson: high consumption and a wealthy economy do not guarantee good collection on their own – how the collection system is organised matters at least as much.

The official collection rate: what EU rules require

Since 2019, the WEEE Directive has allowed two types of target. Under the standard method, member states must collect at least 65% of the average weight of equipment placed on the market in the three preceding years. Alternatively, they can aim to collect 85% of the e-waste generated in the same year. Hungary – along with several other member states, including Poland, Austria and the Netherlands – uses this second method.

Country-by-country rates for 2024 are now available in the updated data tables of Eurostat’s Statistics Explained page. The EU collection rate was an estimated 39.0% (up from 37.5% in 2023), still far below the 65% target. Four countries reached 65%: Bulgaria (83.1%), Slovakia (67.2%), Czechia (67.0%) and Latvia (65.1%). The 85% target based on generated waste was met by Poland (110.2%) and Austria (91.2%). Using the standard method, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Greece, Slovenia and Italy all stayed below 30% – although, as the next section explains, the Hungarian figure needs an important caveat.

Hungary: estimated figures, no national report

Anyone looking for a Hungarian bar in the charts of Eurostat’s 14 October news release will not find one: Hungary, along with Italy, Romania and Sweden, was left out. Citing Eurostat’s country-specific methodological annex, the Hungarian financial portal Portfolio reports that Hungary had not submitted data for reference year 2024 by 23 September 2026. The detailed data tables on Statistics Explained do, however, include 2024 values for Hungary – but these come from Eurostat estimates, not from national reporting.

According to the estimate, in Hungary in 2024:

• 8.2 kg per person of e-waste was collected, well below the EU average of 12.3 kg – 21st out of the 27 member states.
• 15.9 kg per person of e-waste was generated, meaning roughly half was collected separately: a collection rate of 51.4%, against the 85% target that applies to Hungary’s calculation method.
• 28.8 kg per person was the annual average of equipment placed on the market in the three preceding years. Measured against that – the standard method – the rate is just 28.3%.

That last figure explains why some international trade media reported that Hungary collects less than 30%. The number is correct, but it is not the yardstick that applies to Hungary: the country’s performance is measured against e-waste generated, where the estimated rate is 51%. That is still a long way from 85%.

The annex does not explain why, but it highlights an important factor: there was a break in Hungary’s data series in 2023. From 1 July 2023, tasks linked to extended producer responsibility were transferred to the national concession company, MOHU, and teething problems during the transition caused significant drops in collected and treated quantities in some categories. The concession system is under scrutiny anyway – we recently covered the waste management concession review in Hungary in detail.

What do we know about earlier years? According to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), Hungary collected 94,000 tonnes of e-waste separately in 2022, or 9.8 kg per person – below the EU average of 11.2 kg at the time, placing the country in the middle of the pack. The amount roughly doubled in ten years, from just 5.0 kg per person in 2013. The estimated 8.2 kg for 2024 may therefore point to a decline, but it should be treated with caution: the two figures come from different sources and methods – one is official reporting, the other an estimate. Hungary was also one of the member states allowed to postpone meeting the stricter collection target until 14 August 2021.

The missing national report is therefore more than a statistical inconvenience. As long as only estimates are available, it is impossible to say for certain whether e-waste collection in Hungary has returned to its earlier trajectory after the switch to the concession model, or whether it has fallen behind for good – though the estimated figures point to the latter.

What can households do?

In the end, the statistics are the sum of our own decisions. A few simple steps anyone can take to improve the numbers:

• Keep it out of the general waste bin. Anything that ever ran on mains power, batteries or a rechargeable battery is e-waste and needs separate collection. This is especially true of gadgets with built-in lithium batteries, which are a hidden fire hazard in waste.
• Use recycling centres and collection events. After almost a year on hold, Hungarian municipalities can again request collection events under MOHU’s new system from 6 October, including for electronic waste.
• Take it back to the shop. When you buy a new appliance, the retailer takes back the old one, and larger shops accept small devices even without a purchase.
• Empty the drawer. An old phone, charger or pair of earphones is worth nothing there, but at a recycler copper, gold, silver and rare metals can be recovered from it. Wipe your data before handing it in.
• Repair and pass it on. The best e-waste is the kind that never arises: a working device you no longer need may still find a new owner.

Producers and retailers carry at least as much responsibility. The whole point of extended producer responsibility is that whoever places a product on the market is also responsible for collecting and treating it once it becomes waste. According to trade media, the expected revision of the WEEE Directive may form part of the European Commission’s planned Circular Economy Act, and the key question will be how to reverse stagnating collection rates.

What to watch in the coming months

Eurostat’s annual releases arrive in a series: we recently analysed the latest EU food waste figures, and now it is electronic waste’s turn. The next milestone for Hungary will be replacing the estimate with its own verified national data; at EU level, it will be how the revision of the WEEE rules tries to reverse stagnating collection. Until then, the most honest summary may be this: we keep buying more electronics per person, but most of our old devices have not yet reached the place where the raw materials inside them can be used again.

FAQ: e-waste in the EU

How much e-waste was collected per person in the EU in 2024?

According to Eurostat, 12.3 kilograms of electrical and electronic waste per person was collected separately in the European Union in 2024. That is 0.7 kilograms more than in 2023 and well above the 7.3 kilograms of 2015. In the same year, however, 32.4 kilograms of new equipment per person was placed on the market, so collection still lags far behind sales.

Why does collected e-waste lag so far behind the equipment people buy?

Mainly because many devices stay in use for years or sit unused in drawers and basements. Eurostat also points to informal, unmonitored treatment channels. Large appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and solar panels have sharply increased the weight placed on the market, while cross-border online sales and non-reporting producers can distort the statistics.

Which EU country collects the most e-waste?

Bulgaria collected the most e-waste in 2024, at 18.9 kilograms per person, followed by Czechia with 17.8 kilograms and France with 17.7 kilograms. Cyprus (4.7 kg), Portugal (6.0 kg) and Malta (6.4 kg) recorded the lowest amounts. Austria, Germany and Denmark placed the most new equipment on the market, but that alone does not mean better collection.

How much e-waste did Hungary collect in 2024?

According to a Eurostat estimate, Hungary collected 8.2 kilograms of e-waste per person in 2024, well below the EU average. That is 51.4% of the e-waste generated, against an 85% target. The figure is an estimate because Hungary had not submitted data by 23 September 2026, which is also why it was left out of the news release charts.

What is the EU’s e-waste collection target?

Under the WEEE Directive, since 2019 member states must collect 65% of the average weight of equipment placed on the market in the three preceding years. Alternatively, they can target 85% of the e-waste generated in the same year; Hungary uses this method. In 2024, the EU rate was an estimated 39%; four member states reached 65% and two reached 85%.

Sources:

• Eurostat: 12.3 kg of e-waste per person collected in the EU (14 October 2026)
• Eurostat Statistics Explained: Waste statistics – electrical and electronic equipment
• Portfolio (in Hungarian): More electronic devices are entering the EU market, but waste collection lags behind
• KSH (in Hungarian): Circular economy

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