Only about 40% of electronic waste is recycled.

Omissions

• Eurostat's indicator is a COLLECTION rate (weight of WEEE collected relative to the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market), not a measured end-of-life recycling rate; the share actually recycled is at best equal to and likely somewhat lower than the collection rate.
• Context omitted: the EU legal target under the WEEE Directive is 65%, so the 39% figure is well below target — this strengthens rather than weakens the speaker's argument.
• The figure refers to the EU-27 average; national rates vary widely (Bulgaria around 83%, several member states far below 40%).
• The underlying Eurostat data for reference year 2024 may have been published close to the session date; the exact publication date of the Eurostat Statistics Explained page could not be extracted.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat — Waste statistics: electrical and electronic equipment (Statistics Explained)"In 2024, the collection rate of WEEE in the EU was 39% (measured as the weight of WEEE collected relative to the average weight of electronic equipment put on the market...)"
• SecondaryDon't Waste It (Hungary) — E-waste in the EU: 12.3 kg per person – Eurostat 2024"The EU collection rate was an estimated 39.0% (up from 37.5% in 2023), still far below the 65% target. Four countries reached 65%: Bulgaria (...)"
• SecondaryEuropean Environmental Bureau — New data reveal the extent of Europe's e-waste crisis"5.2 million tonnes of e-waste were collected – just 4.4 percent more than in 2022. Collection rates are still alarmingly low across the EU..."