2026 Q1 WEEE Collected Data Published
Q1 data shows WEEE collections tracking close to the expected quarterly run rate, with treatment volumes slightly ahead of collections across all reported categories.
The latest Q1 WEEE market data shows producer compliance schemes collected 128,277 tonnes of household WEEE across the reported categories. At the same time, 129,578 tonnes were received at approved authorised treatment facilities (AATFs), creating an overall collection-to-treatment gap of -1,301 tonnes. This indicates that, in the first quarter, slightly more WEEE was received for treatment than was reported as collected.
With Q1 representing the first 25% of the compliance year, the figures provide an early view of whether collection levels are aligned with the 2026 UK WEEE collection targets. The data suggests a mixed but stable picture: some categories are tracking close to or above the expected level, while others are tracking below where they need to be at this point in the year.
Category 1 and Small Mixed WEEE lead Q1 collections
Category 1 recorded the highest single category volume, with 47,251 tonnes collected in Q1. This was followed by Small Mixed WEEE (Categories 2-10), which accounted for 36,295 tonnes. Together, these two categories represented around 66% of the total WEEE collected across all categories.
Category 12 also made a significant contribution, with 32,028 tonnes collected in the quarter. Category 11 followed with 11,666 tonnes, while Categories 13 and 14 recorded smaller volumes of 755 tonnes and 283 tonnes respectively.
Received-at-treatment volumes slightly exceed collections
Across all categories, the collection-to-treatment gap was negative, meaning the volume received at AATFs was higher than the volume reported as collected. One possible explanation is that AATFs were processing a backlog of WEEE carried over from previous quarters.
The largest gap was seen in Category 1, where AATFs received 47,986 tonnes compared with 47,251 tonnes collected, a difference of -736 tonnes. Category 12 recorded the second-largest gap, with 32,459 tonnes received at AATFs against 32,028 tonnes collected, a difference of -431 tonnes. Smaller negative gaps were recorded for Small Mixed WEEE (-64 tonnes), Category 11 (-68 tonnes), Category 13 (-3 tonnes), and Category 14, where the difference was negligible at around -0.04 tonnes.
Category 12, which covers cooling appliances such as fridges, also illustrates wider capacity pressures in the market. Fires and operational issues at two UK sites that have historically recycled significant tonnage have reduced reprocessing capacity. This means that, while WEEE may be available for collection, recycling and the generation of evidence can lag behind. The data shows Q1 only, but stakeholders are aware of this a continual issue which is likely to affect evidence availability and reported performances throughout the rest of the year.
Table 1. Q1 WEEE collection and treatment data
Q1 performance against the 2026 target benchmark
At the end of Q1, as a baseline, we would expect 25% of the annual UK collections target to be collected. On that basis, the Q1 data indicates that Category 1 is tracking slightly ahead of the benchmark at 26.2% of its annual target, while several other categories sit close to, but below, the 25% run rate. Small Mixed WEEE, when viewed as Categories 2-10 combined, remains a major contributor by tonnage, though individual categories within that group vary in performance.
Categories 11, 12, 13, and 14 all remain below the 25% benchmark, with Category 14 notably lower by percentage despite a modest absolute tonnage. As in previous years, performance later in the year will be important, particularly as quarterly collection patterns can fluctuate.
Table 2. Q1 WEEE collection vs UK collection targets
Outlook for the remainder of the compliance year
Overall, the Q1 data points to a steady start to the 2026 WEEE compliance year. The headline collection volume is substantial, and Category 1 is tracking ahead of the expected Q1 position. However, the negative collection-to-treatment gap across categories and the below-benchmark performance in several categories show that continued focus will be needed throughout the year, with recycling volumes and performance required to improve if targets are to be hit and enough available evidence generated.
As further quarterly data is published, the key question will be whether the categories currently below their run-rate can close the gap and whether collection levels remain resilient through the second half of the year. For producers, compliance schemes and treatment operators, Q1 provides a useful early indicator, but the path to achieving the full-year targets will depend on sustained performance across all WEEE streams.
