News

From fridges to battery chargers, the decalogue for disposing of WEEE

During the summer period, the average number of refrigerators replaced grows by 10%. The Consortium's advice for correct disposal

by Davide Madeddu

22 August 2025

2' min read

Key points

Consortium invitation
1,600 member companies
Survey

2' min read

Four out of 10 refrigerators are replaced during the summer period, an average of 10% more than during other months. A growing phenomenon that also affects other small household appliances. From battery chargers and remote controls to electric toothbrushes, electronic cigarettes, portable fans and other small travel appliances. In some cases, as there is also a growing possibility that many small appliances are 'forgotten' in holiday homes and thus end up in the rubbish bags, there is a risk of incorrect disposal.

The Consortium's invitation

For this reason, the Erion Weee Consortium has issued a decalogue call to 'not dispose' of electronic devices in the household waste stream, but to 'entrust them to the appropriate collection facilities', ranging from municipal ecological islands to electronics shops that take care of the collection service in their territories.

"For small-size WEEE, i.e. less than 25 centimetres, you can take advantage of the One vs. Zero service free of charge, which allows you to return your no-longer-functioning appliance to large electronics shops (with a surface area of more than 400 square metres), without any obligation to purchase it" - says Giorgio Arienti, General Manager of Erion Weee -. Unfortunately, however, too many people are still unaware of this opportunity: in fact, according to a survey we conducted with Ipsos, 49% of Italians still ignore the existence of the service, despite the fact that it has been active since 2016".

1,600 member companies

The representatives of the Consortium, which brings together more than 1,600 companies nationwide, point out a critical issue that occurs in summer and concerns refrigerators. "The arrival of high temperatures generates, in fact, more cases of malfunctioning or breakage of these appliances, bringing with it also an increase in replacements by consumers. In fact, during this period, Erion Weee handles 40% of the annual total of Group R1 (refrigeration and climate) WEEE. This means that 4 out of 10 refrigerators are replaced during the four summer months: on average 10% more per month than during the rest of the year".

L’indagine

According to the survey carried out by the Consortium, in the case of replacement of a refrigerator "less than half, 46%, decide to have the equivalent WEEE taken back via the 1-to-1 service".

For Arienti, this is a singular figure "if you think that, according to the Ipsos survey, 71% of those interviewed know that when buying a new household appliance it is possible to request the free take-back of the equivalent appliance they want to get rid of". Despite this, only 46% of people actually make use of this option," he argues. "This is a real shame, especially because, we would like to remind you once again, this is a service that is totally free of charge for citizens and has important benefits for the environment and the economy of our country. By opting for the 1-for-1 service for the correct collection of large WEEE, it is possible to increase collection and, therefore, to recycle a greater quantity of Secondary Raw Materials to be reintroduced into production cycles. These are fundamental materials whose supply is necessary for several important sectors of Italian industry".