Prices for the recovery and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Germany continue to experience inflationary pressure at the start of 2024. Treatment prices increased for refrigeration appliances and equipment containing screens, in particular, because of rising costs for logistics, energy and staffing. Compounding matters, recyclers are encountering problems selling plastic fractions and were also facing another steep hike in costs of managing glass from cathode ray tubes (CRTs).
By contrast, prices for the recovery and recycling of large and small household appliances have altered only slightly. It was still possible to generate good revenue through the sale of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, and competition among recyclers for scant arisings was fierce at times.
Market players told EUWID that e-waste collection volumes have continued to decline at the start of the year. That being said, insiders have widely differing views about how much volumes have fallen. A few sources reported just a small and occasionally short-lived slump because of the weather, while others said that volumes had tumbled significantly. In some cases, collection volumes at the end of 2023 were only around two-thirds of the already low level reached in previous quarters.
Click below to read the full quarterly report on the German e-scrap market and access treatment prices for material in the four main collection categories. In addition, the monthly EUWID index for the material value of fridges and freezers has been updated. This data can also be found below:
