Bulgaria collected more electronic waste per person than any other EU country in 2024, at 18.9 kg, Eurostat data published today show.
Czechia was next with 17.8 kg, followed by France with 17.7 kg. The EU average was 12.3 kg per person. Cyprus collected the least at 4.7 kg, then Portugal at 6.0 kg and Malta at 6.4 kg.
The figures cover waste from household appliances, smartphones and computers. In 2024, 32.4 kg of new equipment per person was put on the EU market, up from 18.1 kg in 2015. Between 2015 and 2024, the amount of equipment sold rose by 79%, mostly because of large items such as washing machines, dishwashers and solar panels. Between 2022 and 2024, the amount per person barely changed.
The amount of waste collected is growing more slowly. The EU collected 7.3 kg per person in 2015 and 12.3 kg in 2024. That is a rise of 0.7 kg per person on 2023.
Austria put the most equipment on the market per person at 38.2 kg, followed by Germany at 38.0 kg and Denmark at 37.0 kg. The lowest were Cyprus at 15.4 kg, Slovakia at 17.5 kg and Greece at 18.0 kg.
In Bulgaria, 28.51 kg per person was put on the market, 9.61 kg more than was collected. In all countries with available data, more equipment was sold in 2024 than was collected. The gap was smallest in Slovakia, at 6.4 kg per person. Spain put 36.0 kg on the market and collected 9.3 kg, while Germany collected 11.0 kg. In both countries, new equipment was more than three times the amount collected as waste.
Eurostat says the large gap shows that the stock of electrical and electronic equipment is growing. Some devices are still in use, others are waiting to be thrown away or sit in homes, and some end up in informal waste channels with no oversight.