Through Beyondly’s Fund for Change, we have partnered with WRAP to explore interventions that could accelerate UK WEEE collection rates, driven by a shared dedication to tackling the underlying causes of the climate crisis and delivering measurable, long-term positive impact.
Beyondly is a B Corp compliance and sustainability consultancy supporting the WEEE, batteries, and packaging industries, from advancing circularity and meeting compliance obligations to managing data and meeting stakeholder expectations - and beyond.
Inspired by EU markets where WEEE collection rates are higher our goal was to understand the underlying barriers, enablers and opportunities through interviews with WEEE compliance & collection stakeholders – including producers, retailers, municipalities, online marketplaces, regulators, national PROs, and NGOs/campaign organisations - from Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, who are collaborating at scale for a cultural shift to ‘circular thinking as normal’.
Understanding the approaches of Sweden and the Republic of Ireland
Sweden demonstrates how policy, education, and digital infrastructure can drive repair, reduce waste, and create a culture where keeping electronics out of landfill is the norm. Meanwhile Ireland proves that clear policy and visible consumer engagement and simple take-back schemes can support circularity, even in a mixed urban-rural setting similar to the UK.
Interviews with Sweden and Ireland, aimed to explore several key areas, including R-strategies (repair, refurbishment, reuse, recycling), funding models, treatment proximity, consumer engagement, stakeholder perspectives, and relevant policy frameworks
Insights
Beyondly found that the biggest UK sources of friction were convenience and clarity - for example, small WEEE channels are confusing, retailer take-back is inconsistent, and reuse/repair is underfunded. By contrast, Sweden and Ireland combine clear national messaging with stable EPR funding, retailer-integrated take-back (1:1 and 0:1), reverse logistics models, citizen education, and transparent producer registers.
The work reinforced the benefits of funded kerbside collections for small WEEE and batteries, standardised data, LA-branded communications, and pilots testing repair and reuse incentives and default return routes. The longer-term goal is central governance that reduces burdens on councils while scaling convenient, safe household options - with segregation and measurable capture, and potential for fire risk reductions.
In the second area of research WRAP and Behaviour Change’s study used ethnographic diaries and a 2,000-person survey in Ireland/Sweden to shed light on how and why people dispose of electricals.
Small tech is too often discarded despite household awareness; consumer knowledge is patchy, and many items are thrown away while still working. Interestingly, residents expect and want local-authority-led communication, clear default disposal routes, and convenient options (kerbside, retailer collection, drop-points) timed to trigger moments (spring clean) and where incentives to do the right thing are valued.
A UK review highlighted collection gaps from a fragmented system, costs, and low kerbside uptake. Opportunities include normalising small WEEE and battery collections, producer-funded kerbside pilots, data-wipe and repair services, and postcode-level consumer communications.
Beyondly is working with WRAP on an evidence-led roadmap to turn observations into interventions that lift capture rates, cut environmental impacts, and engage producers, authorities, Defra, and stakeholders to shape UK WEEE reform
You can read more about Beyondly and this project here- https://www.beyond.ly/impact/wrap-project/
