Eurostat: Bulgaria is in last place in terms of technology recycling

The growing use of information and communication technologies leads to an increasing amount of waste from old laptops, tablets, mobile phones, smartphones and desktop computers. What happens to the devices that are no longer needed is considered in its latest material on the subject by the European statistical agency Eurostat.

Nearly 13 percent of EU citizens have recycled their old desktop computers

Approximately one in five citizens (19 percent) of the European Union in 2022 kept their old personal computers at home, another 13 percent handed them in for recycling, 8 percent gave them away or sold them, and 2 percent threw them away.

Among EU members last year, Sweden had the highest proportion of citizens (29 percent) recycling their old desktop computers, followed by the Netherlands (27 percent), Finland, Denmark and Austria (20 percent each).

In Bulgaria, the share of people who recycled their old desktop computers was the lowest among EU countries in 2022. Only 3.4 percent of Bulgarians took their unwanted personal computers for recycling, compared to an EU average of 12. 8 percent, BTA states.

Regarding the recycling of old laptops and tablets, our country was also in the last place in the EU, and the share of citizens who recycled them was only 2 percent. The EU average was 9.7 percent last year.

Among the EU members, Bulgaria was also in the last position in terms of mobile phone recycling, with 4 percent of old phones being recycled last year, while the EU average was 10.3 percent.

One third of people in the EU kept their old laptops and tablets, around 10 percent recycled them

Among EU citizens, the largest share (33 percent) decided to keep their old laptops and tablets at home in 2022. 10 percent recycled them, and another 11 percent gave them away or sold them. Only 1 percent of people in the EU have disposed of their unwanted laptops and tablets.

Sweden, Finland and Denmark (18 percent each), as well as Greece (17 percent) and Croatia (15 percent) recorded the highest share of people recycling their old laptops or tablets.

Half of people keep their old mobile phones or smartphones at home

Almost half (49 percent) of people in the EU keep their old mobile phones or smartphones in their household. Only 10 percent recycled them, and 17 percent gave them away or sold them to someone outside their household. 2 percent of people will have thrown away their old cell phones in 2022.

Greece (18 percent), Austria (17 percent) and the Czech Republic (15 percent) reported the highest recycling rates for old mobile phones in 2022, followed by Denmark (14 percent).

Croatia (32 percent) and the Netherlands (24 percent) reported the highest share of people who gave or sold their old phone to someone else.