The impact of COVID-19 on household WEEE collection

This project, conducted for Material Focus in partnership with Valpak, sought to understand the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the collection of waste household electronics. A combination of historic data and engagement with retailers, local authorities, recyclers and producer compliance schemes was used to model the flows of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) during the pandemic and in a theoretical business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. This model, and an accompanying project report, were both made publicly available by Material Focus. The headline result was an estimated 20% decrease in household waste electronics in 2020 relative to our BAU scenario.