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Millions of Europeans struggle to recycle their old phones, even when they are no longer in use.<\/p>\n
Recent Eurostat research shows that 51% keep their old device at home instead of tossing it.<\/p>\n
Only 11% recycle them, while 18% give them to someone or sell them, and 2% throw them away without recycling them.<\/p>\n
Concerning electronic waste rates in the Balkans<\/p>\n
The share of phones that end up in general waste is particularly high in the Balkans: 14% in Albania, around 11% in North Macedonia and almost 9% in Montenegro.<\/p>\n
In the EU, the highest rate of people discarding their phones in this manner was reported in the Czech Republic, at nearly 6%.<\/p>\n
By contrast, the lowest rate among all EU and extra-EU countries surveyed was found in Croatia. Only 0.57% of old mobile phones end up among general waste.<\/p>\n
When it comes to old laptops and tablets, 34% of people keep them at home.<\/p>\n
However, around 1.5% of people toss them into general waste or elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Once again, Montenegro shows a particularly concerning rate: 9%, which is far above any other surveyed European nation.<\/p>\n
Why do many people not recycle their old electronic devices?<\/p>\n
Perhaps due to their size, old desktop computers have a relatively high recycling rate: 15%. <\/p>\n
The Netherlands recycles 28% of them, followed by Sweden at 26%. <\/p>\n
However, Dutch people also have the highest rate in the EU of throwing no-longer-used desktop computers into general waste, 6.6%.<\/p>\n
Some EU candidate countries show even higher figures: 8% in Montenegro and nearly 10% in North Macedonia.<\/p>\n