It is estimated that around 50 million tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is generated and discarded worldwide every year at an annual growth rate of approximately 3% to 5%. Out of these, only 20% to 25% are recycled and the remaining 75% to 80% (approximately 40 million tonnes) end up in dumps or incinerated.
The European Union has set a minimum per capita recycling rate of 4 kg WEEE per citizen, although the WEEE rate produced by the average European citizen is 16 kg! Although Greece has made great efforts in this direction, there is enough room for improvement to reach and exceed European standards. The map below is from the Statistical Office of the European Union and shows the kilos per capita recycled for each country of the EU during years 2010 and 2012.