The plunging prices for ferrous and non-ferrous metals in recent months are also having an impact on the German market for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling. In particular for large household appliances and refrigerators, the declining revenues have led to a significant shift in their waste treatment prices. By contrast, there have only been minor changes in the prices for recycling monitors and small equipment. Especially in the latter category, competition for the tight volumes of small equipment prevented a more substantial adjustment.
Nearly all of the market participants surveyed by EUWID reported that e-waste arisings have recently dropped off noticeably. The decline for large equipment and cooling appliances is apparently not too severe and there were even some reports that volumes were still stable, but volumes of small WEEE in particular have slumped markedly. Depending on the region, volumes in this collection category have reportedly fallen by between 20 and 40 per cent, while some plant operators say current arisings are only half of the normal level....
