EWC Code
Hazardous components removed from discarded equipment
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume (EU)
~10 Mt/year generated EU; ~5.5 Mt/year formally collected
Valorisation Range
€180–1,200/tonne (gold, silver, palladium content drives premium)
Primary Route
Precious Metal Urban Mining
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Get contacts for EWC 16 02 15*EWC 16 02 15* is a specific sub-code under EWC 16 02 — Discarded equipment and electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The classification guidance below applies to this waste stream.
EWC 16 02 is the waste code assigned to discarded electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) under the European Waste Catalogue. WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU (recast) establishes Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations for manufacturers placing electrical and electronic equipment on the EU market, targeting ≥65% of average equipment weight placed on market collected and recycled annually.
WEEE is arguably the most complex heterogeneous waste stream in the EWC. A single smartphone contains 60+ elements from the periodic table — copper, gold, silver, palladium (in circuit boards), cobalt and lithium (battery), indium and gallium (display), tantalum (capacitors), and rare earth elements (magnets, speakers). The urban mining opportunity: one tonne of circuit boards contains 250–300g gold, versus 5–10g in a tonne of high-grade ore.
The formal collection gap — approximately 4.5 Mt/year in the EU goes uncollected into general waste or illegal export — drives a significant financial leakage from the recycling system. EU WEEE Directive revision (2023 proposal) targets improved collection rates and closes loopholes in second-hand export that mask illegal WEEE flows to West Africa and Southeast Asia.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 16 02 15*, ranked by economic value and market depth.
Printed circuit boards (PCBs) from IT equipment processed by base metal smelters (Umicore, Aurubis) using copper smelter as PGM collector. PCB copper matrix acts as collector for Ag, Au, Pd, Pt. Hydromet refinery separates individual PGMs to 99.9%+ purity. Revenue: €300–1,200/t PCBs depending on Au/Pd loading.
Large household appliances (fridges, freezers, AC) depolluted before shredding: F-gas (HFCs/HCFCs) recovered by licensed contractors under F-Gas Regulation 2014/517/EU; compressor oils drained; mercury switches removed. Failure to depollute before shredding releases F-gases (GWP 1,000–10,000) and creates hazardous residues.
Functional WEEE components — hard drives (data-wiped to NIST 800-88), RAM, GPUs — tested, certified and re-marketed by ITAD operators. Refurbished smartphones (Recommerce, Back Market) fetch 40–70% of new device retail value. Right-to-repair legislation (EU Regulation 2024/1781) expanding the reuse market.
These are the established routes for EWC 16 02 15*. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
WEEE authorised treatment facilities (ATFs) performing depollution, disassembly and material separation
OEM take-back schemes receiving branded WEEE for responsible recycling under EPR obligations
Secondary copper smelters using PCBs and wire harnesses as copper-rich feed material
Hazardous WEEE sub-codes: CRTs (Ba/Pb), fluorescent tubes (Hg), PCB-containing equipment (16 02 09*)
Common materials that take EWC 16 02 15* depending on where the waste arises.
Sectors that valorise EWC 16 02 15* as an input material or secondary raw material.
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