This chapter aims to examine the current challenges in electronic waste (e -waste) management in a new EU Member State like Romania. The chapter analyses the route from unsound disposal practices (e .g. illegal dumping) towards sustainable practices of e -waste under EU targets and objectives. This e -waste stream is toxic for the environment and public health, thus, proper collection, treatment , and recycling facilities are requir ed. The waste management infrastructure must be completed by a comprehensive e -waste statistic database, reliable monitoring, and law enforcement activities. The chapter reveals the current gaps in e-waste management activities in Romania while highlightin g the best practices in this sector. The chapter i dentifies the specific pathways for sustainable practices associated with electronic waste management. The role of different actors involved in e-waste flows is examined such as public institutions, private sector , NGOs or local community. This emerging e-waste stream has a high recycling and recovery potential which could further support a circular economy in Romania. Keywords: electronic waste, e -waste, waste management; recycling; recovery; circular ec onomy; 1Introduction Electronic waste (e -waste) or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is an emergin g waste stream which poses serious challenges in sustaina ble waste management practices for both developed and developing countries while consumer of electronic goods is expected to increase in following years. At the global level, there are huge disparities in e -waste generation rates and e-waste management activities while specific e -waste legislation is still miss ing in several countries (Mi hai et al., 2019 ). The Countering WEEE Illegal Trade (CWIT) project found that in Europe, only 35% (3.3 million tons) of al l the e -waste discarded in 2012 are covered by collection reporting systems while t he other 65% (6.15 million tons) was either: expor ted (1.5 million tons), recycled under non-compliant conditions in Europe (3.15 million tons), scavenged for valuable parts (750,000 tons) or simply thro wn in waste bins (75 0,000 tons) as shown by Huisman et al. (2015) . These findings point out some seriou s gaps in e -waste management activities among EU countries. Former Soviet countries try to reduce such gaps by transposing EU legislation and to develop better treatment activities supported by improved e -waste collection schemes . This chapter aims to ex amine such challenges in case of a new EU Member Stare like Romania, where some progress is made in the right direction. The chapter points out the route from unsound e -waste disposal activities (e .g. illegal dumping or landfill of e -waste ) towards the sustainable collection, treatment , and recycling practi ces among various stakeholders (EEE producers, waste operators, recycling companies, public institutions , and local authorities, civil society). The b est e-waste management practices are outlined in the c hapter. T o make an easier transition towards a circular e conomy in Romania such activities must be further supported. 2. E-waste disposal activities 2.1 Illegal dumping of the e-waste stream Smaller urban areas and rural communities are still exposed t o illegal dumping activities associated with the lack of proper waste management facilit ies. In the latter case, the rural population still lacks waste collection services, therefore , the e -waste stream generated by rural population is susceptible to illeg al dumping practices. How ever, poorer socioeconomic conditions increase the lifespan of electronic products and there is a low purchasing power compared to larger urban areas which reduce the magnitude of this practice . Wild dumps and open burnin g activiti es were the main waste disposal option s across rural communities prior to 2010. Frequently, eac h village from commune to town had an open dump to dispose of the household wastes (Orlescu and Costescu, 2013). E -waste stream contain s toxic pollutants ( e.g. heavy metals) contaminating the soil and water bodies. The closure of rural dumpsites was performed by local authorities and supervised by the National Environmental Guard . These actions comply with the obligations assumed by the EU Landfill Directive trans posed by Gover nment Decision no 345 \2005 regarding the landfill of waste . These actions obliged rural municipalities to seek solutions for waste collection ser vices and transport the wastes to urban landfill sit es. The delays in the implementation of regio nal integrated waste management systems cause gaps in the current waste collection schemes favoring illegal w aste disposal practices around urban and rural areas (Mihai, 2018). Despite the closure of wild dumps and expansion s of waste operators coverage areas the collection effi ciency is not 100 , particular ly in less developed areas, thus, there is an uncollected waste flow (including e -waste fraction) which is dispersed on the surroundings or burnt. Also, individuals focus to recover valuable items from electronic scraps and the rest of the items are prone to littering behavio r. In 2015, every Romanian (urban area) has in aver age 72 kg of EEE of which 7, 35 kg became e - waste which is further managed as follows: 30 % is collect ed by formal e -waste activiti es, 21 % reused by friends/family and 49 % are improperly managed via informal sector, municipal bins or illegal dumping practices (Ecoti c, 2015). These findings confirm that illegal d umping is a possible route for e-waste flow uncollected by the formal se ctor. This situation could be worse in rural areas wher e waste management facilities are scarcely seen. Best practices should be promoted and supported by awareness campaign s. These are necessary steps to combat illegal dumping practices or bad situations where individual s keep the e -waste in their households in unsafe conditions and are not motivated to take such w astes to collection centers ( Recycling4Regions, 2014). 2.2. Open burning of the e-waste stream Open burning of e -waste release harmful pollut ants in the air threatening the public health , particularly in transition and developing countries with a less developed waste management infrastructure (Mihai and Gnoni, 2016) . In Rom ania, this bad practice sporadical ly occur s in rural areas without acces s to proper waste collection schemes. The r ural p opulation is still unaware of public health risks associated with open burning activities of this e -waste stream. The bur ning process of household waste is performed in open piles which could contain electr onic item s beside agricultural waste fraction. There are some recommendations of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situation regarding the burning of agricultural and organic fraction of MSW stream in special conditions as seasonal cleaning a ctivities (mainly in spring and autumn). Burning of hazardous items (such as e -waste, batteries, spray) is forbidden and a special permit from the local council is required for each individual in the case of open -fire activities. Better law enforcement is needed to eradica te such bad practices among inhabitants. 2.3 Landfill of the e-waste stream Prior to EU accession e -waste stream was regarded mainly as part of the municipal solid waste flow (including bulky items) managed by public or private waste operators as residua l waste . The mixed munici pal waste collection prevailed through collection point s or “door to door” schemes , including e-waste fraction of private households or commerce sector . The presence of e-waste stream in urban landfills increases the in -situ and /or nearby pollution risks th rough the leachate contaminants or direct contact with soil . In Europe, a round 750,000 tons of mainly small appliances end up in the waste bin, with varying amounts per country of between 1 and 2 kg per inhabitant per year , while waste management systems are still landfill -based (Huisman et al., 2015). In the last two decades , most of the urban landfills were non-compliant with EU regulations a nd such sites should be closed until 2017. However, the delays in building and operat ing activities of the new re gional sanitary landfill sites (supported by EU funds) lead to temporary dumpsites where mixed municipal waste is disposed of, including e -waste stream s which are not source -separated by population or economic agents , thus, thes e are disch arged either on dumps or in mixed residual waste bin s or container s. The e - waste represents around 5 -6 % of the total amount of waste in a community and Romania household ha s EEE products older than 5 years (Region4recycling, 2014). Landfill of e-waste is often used in Romania while recycling work is done in small plants based on manual dism antling (Ciocoiu et al., 2016). The correct source -separated of dry recyclables and special waste streams (such as e -waste, oils, batteries, co nstruction and demolition waste , tires, etc.) are key challenges to avoid contamination of residual waste s with haza rdous item s which are further sent to landfill sites. Low a mounts of e -waste w ere found in WEEE in household waste composition in Cluj - Napoca city as a result of separate collection scheme and e -waste collection campaigns since 2011 (Pop et al., 2015). Environ mental awareness of citizens is crucial in this regard and fu rther campaign s must be implemen ted in both urban and rural areas . 3. E-waste collect ion practices 3.1 EU collection targets Source separate collection and special treatment activities are required in the EU, which updated new legislation de dicated to this waste fraction such as Directive 2012/19/EU which entered into force on 13 August 2 012 and it had to be transposed into national law of Member States by 14 February 2014. The old Directive 2002/96/CE imposed the EU Member States a per capita collection target of 4 kg per capita year valid for 2012 -2015. T his flat collection rate was difficult to be achieved in a country like Romania with limited e -waste management infrastructure , particularly in towns and rural areas combined with lower purchasing power a t EU level and greater lifespan of electronic goods in less developed regions . Thus, Romania reported a value of around 1.5 k g of e -waste per capita per year (taking into consideration private households and other sectors) which is the lowest among EU countries (UNU -IAS, 2015). In fact, the total amount of e -waste collected in Romania dur ing 2006 -2010 is 4.3 kg.per.capit a of which 2.7 recycled or recovered (Popescu, 2015). Cyprus, Croatia , Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania , and Slovakia did not achieve this collection target in 2014 (Kling et al., 2017). The new Directive chan ges this approach based on a flat per -capita basis towards economic mar ket conditions associated with EEE products. This n ew requirement is to collect 45 % of the total amount of EEE put on the market (as an average of the last 3 years) starting from 2016 and increasing to 65% in 2019 or to collect 85% of the total e -waste generated. There are countries which already fulfilled the new targets for 2016 in 2014 such as Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, Irela nd, Lithuania, the Netherla nds, Portugal , and S weden (Kling et al., 2017). Romania , as other new EU countries , has the possibility to apply for a derogation for these new collection targets . In 2014, e -waste collection rate is only 24% of EEE put on the Romanian market supported mainly by retailers whi le municipalities do no t provide adequate collection schemes (Kling et al., 2017). There is a proposal to collect the equivalent amount of 40 % EEE introduced on the market during 2016 -2010 then this rate will increase to 65% in 2021 or collect 85% of the total e-waste generated (as an average of the last 3 years) according to UNU -IAS (2015). The main contributors are industry sectors (EEE producers) and consumers ( private hous eholds, offices, public institutions, shops, hotels , etc ) which feed s this e -waste flow. The tab le 1 shows the amounts of EEE pu t on market and e -waste collected break down per each major cat egory as follows: 1 -Large household appliances; 2 -Small household appliances; 3 -IT&C equipment; 4 - Consumer equi pment; 5 -Lighting equipment; 6 -Electrical and electronic tools; 7-Toys, leisure and sport e quipment; 8 -Medical devices; 9 -Monitori ng and control instruments 10 -Automatic dispensers Table 1.Amounts of EEE put on the market (t) compare d to WEEE collected (t) per each category Category EEE_ 2008 WEEE_2008 EEE_2011 WEEE_2011 EEE_2014 WEEE_2014 1 161964.55 8923.68 69456.21 9987.33 84995.17 20465.24 2 18080.61 735.82 14422.82 673.18 10466.12 1021.16 3 19715.01 6252.69 14349.97 5446.3 13400.46 4803.3 4 2265 9.92 5175.38 13348.15 3199.49 14832.53 3513.27 5 3926.90 206.20 5747.56 291.95 5350.9 1140.05 6 9918.45 321.83 6728.90 743.07 7727.25 815.37 7 466.23 32.80 744.09 94.57 999.47 65.6 8 5605.49 16.49 472.57 20.51 394.51 34.07 9 934.14 39.66 2981.97 464.17 938.16 236.42 10 457.48 13.85 261.21 87.69 482.54 64.51 Total 243728.78 21718.40 128513.45 21008.26 139587.1 32158.99 Data source: National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA, 2017) In 2008, the largest amount of EEE was put on the market (before the economic crisis) compared with 2011 with a slight increase in 2014. On the opposite si de, the amount of e -waste collected is largest in 2014 (after the economic crisis) due to impr ovements made in e -waste collection schemes. However, there are huge differences between amounts of EEE put on the market and WEEE collected and registered in official statistics. The collection targets assumed by Romania could not be achieved because of s everal factors: the greater l ifespan of EEE products , low purchasing power (particularly in rural areas), insufficient e-waste collection points, large informa l sector, landfill of e -waste, poor awareness of citizen s related to e -waste management issues an d improper monitoring activities. The category 1 or large household appliances (e .g. refrigerators, washing machines) are the largest flow both EEE and WEEE during 2008 and 2014. Other key categories are small household appliances (category 2) and IT&C eq uipment (category 3). The total amount of e - waste collected is almost the same for 2008 and 2011 (around 21 000 t) but much lower in comparison with 2014 (32158 t). In fact, there are some e -waste categories with a strong increase compared to previous yea rs such as large household appliances (category 1) and lighting equipment (category 5) as shown in table 1. A decrease d level in 2014 compared to 2011 is specific to categories 3, 7, 9 and 10. In such cases, more efforts need to be made to increase collect ion rates to fulfill the overall EU targets. The chapter further examines the e -waste collection challenges in urban and rural areas. 3.2 E-waste collection in u rban areas Collection centers are required in each large urban area for each 50 000 inhabi tants and loc al authorities need to organize in each year e -waste collection events. Unfortunately, such collection points cover only 10% of the urban population and these are almost not existing in rural areas (Kling et al. , 2017). Retailer’s e -waste coll ection points play a n additional key role in formal e -waste management sector in urban areas. “Buy -back” practices repre sent around 30 % of the total e -waste sales in Romania , but some retailers have the tendency to use such in itiative for marketing purpos e offering good rates only for the electronic goods which are not well sold (Regions4Recycling, 2014). There are over 2,000 collection points in commercial networks in Romania, with adequate infrastructure for weekly or monthly collection (Pacesila et al., 2016). However, the necessary of municipal e - waste collection points are less than the number of authoriz ed collectors in most of the Romanian counties ( Ciocoiu et al., 2016). Figure 2 depicts the disc arded patterns of e -waste flow in Romania considering a total e -waste generation of 7.35 kg per person where retailers and municipal collection points c atch only 20 % of e-waste flows (Ma galini, 2017). This figure point s out the role of life extension and bad habits (e.g. mixed with household waste ) as key factors for a limited performance of separate e -waste collection schemes. Figure 1 Discard pattern s of e-waste in Romania (data source: F. Ma galini, 2017 ) 3.3 E-waste collection in r ural areas Prior to EU accession, t he house hold e -waste stream was associated with municipal waste which (in most cases ) had been mixed collected by a waste operator and sent to an urban landfill site without any pre-treatment activities. The e -waste diversion from wild dumps or open bu rning activi ties is related to the development stage of municipal waste collection schemes across rural communities. There are some collection campaign s dedicated to e -waste or obsolete ele ctronic products in rural areas , but with poor er results in terms of per -capita collection rates. Romania is facing a prolo nged life of large appliances 13–17 years (even 50-year-old appliances in some rural households) compare d to Europe (8 –10 years) which makes more difficult to achieve collection targets (Torretta et al., 2013). However, the benefits of such initiative s were noticed in Buzau county where 20 tons e -waste were collected across Patarlage and Pogoanele towns and Berca, Maracineni, Sapoca, Vadu Pasii, Valea Ramnicului, Cochirleanca and Zarnesti communes in 2009 (Ecotic , 2009). Some informal collectors could operate in peri -urban areas in searching for scrap electronics. In 201 0, Ecotic organization expanded awareness campaigns for e -waste collection in rural communities from Salaj, Vrancea, Bacau, Iasi, Ialomita, Valcea , Dambovita, and Cluj which cover over 50 0 communes (E cotic, 2010). This campaign propose s an exchange a sack of wood briquettes for 10 kg e -waste resulting 60 t of total e -waste collected during this event. Rural areas are the most exposed to open dumpin g or even open burning activities until the new integrated regional waste man agem ent systems (at each county level) will be fully operational. 3.4 Informal sector and illegal e -waste trade Scrap metals are the most val ued items among informal urban street collectors in Romania . Large e-waste appliances and electric tools rich in metals are susceptible to be managed by individuals wh o sell such scrap items to recycling companies. Frequently , the e -wastes are mixed with scrap metal s which are further impro perly treated and few e -waste items are sent from scrap recycling sites to proper e -waste treatment facilities (UNU -IAS, 2015 ). In this context, a cert ain fraction of e -waste tr eated is out of official statistics and included in the scrap metal stream (NW MP, 2017 ). The role of t he informal sector in the collection process of scrap metals (including e -waste fraction ) could be significant in the context of improper local municipal waste manage ment systems and the lack of re liable e -waste collection schemes. Frequently, people go from house to house and collect WEEE and other recyclable s before these waste fractions enter into the formal waste management system (Tartiu, 2011) . In fact, industry stakeholders claim a high informal collection sector and competiti ve disadvantages for certified treatment facilities due to substandard informal e -waste treatment (Kling et al., 2017). Few EU Member States have implemented conclusive reporting and monitoring of de-pollution and up -to-standard treatment conditions and kn owledge gap in e -waste flows is one of the largest in Romania around 60 % (Huisman et al., 2015) . However , there are no data about illegal e -waste trade in Romania , but such knowledge gap could be explained by the poor reporting systems and the unknown im pact level of the informal sector on e -waste flows at local , regional and national levels. 4. E-waste recycling and recovery practices In Romani a, the amount of WEEE available for proper collection and treat ment activities is around 20 % ( 70 kt) compare d to total e -waste resulted from household s in 2015 ( UNU -IAS, 2015). The s ame study reveals that around 22 % of e -waste is reused by extending the lifespan of electronic goods from holders to relatives, friend s or other individuals. This fact could explain the low collection rate of e-waste f raction across Romanian regions. However, the new National Waste Management Plan (NWMP) stipulates that total treatment cap acity in Romania is around 120 000 t/yr which should be suffici ent in the following years. Despi te this fact, e -waste collected is assumed to be properly treated only by some facilities (Kling et al., 2017). The main issue is to feed such treatment facilities by improved e -waste collection schemes. The average rate for recyclin g/preparation for re -use of e -waste was relatively high in all the Member States , ranging from 76% to 96% and Romania is on top 10 countries besides Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lux embourg, Poland, Slovakia (Kling et al., 2017). This situat ion is also supported by t able 1 where national targets are fulfilled during 2008 -2014 breakdown by the main 10 e -waste categories. The only exceptio n is the year 2008 in the case of categor y 5 where the valorization rate is under 80 % threshold, 63 % respectively . Table 2 E-waste valorization rate in Romania E-waste category Recycling and reuse target 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1 80 84 93 93 91 89 93 93 2 70 76 84 84 89 88 89 88 3 75 77 84 86 86 86 85 87 4 75 88 86 89 87 87 88 88 5 80 63 84 88 85 84 92 93 6 70 75 85 87 90 89 88 91 7 70 68 71 73 84 83 84 84 8 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 9 70 77 85 85 86 86 86 88 10 80 89 90 91 91 90 92 92 Data source: National Environmental Protection Agency NA= not available 1-Large household appliances ; 2- Small household applia nces; 3-IT&C equipment ; 4-Consumer equipment ; 5-Lighting equipment ; 6- Electrical and electronic tools ; 7-Toys, leisure , and sport s equipment ; 8-Medical devices ; 9- Monitoring and control instruments 10 - Automatic dispensers These data are based on report s submitted by e -waste collection and treatment facilities. Their reliability is questionable compare d to e-waste flows in Romania since the e -waste collection schemes are insufficiently developed across Romanian counties and the informal sector is conside red to be widespread. Informal recycling is the result of interaction s between economic incentives legislative gaps, industrial interdependence , and socio -economic conditions (Ciocoiu et al., 2011). Overall, waste statistics data rely on the one hand, to w aste operators honesty and on the other hand, depend on volumetric estimations due to the improper weighing systems. 5. Pathways for sustainable practices related to e-waste management activities in Romania Figure 2 highlights the main steps for a rel iable transitio n towards a susta inable e-waste management system in Romania under the circular economy approach promoted by the EU. The left side points out the need to reduce the unsound e -waste disposal practices as previously discussed in subchapter 2 and to provide better statistics and improved monitoring activities under environme ntal authorities supervision. E-waste management infrastructure needs to be further developed involving all key actors such as EEE producers, municipalities , and environmental N GOs with particular focus to e -waste collection schemes including smaller urban areas and rural communities. Figure 2 . Pathways for sustainable e -waste management practices in Romania The right side support s the current best e -waste management practices in Romania which are further examined in this section. Best European standards should be a pplied in treatment activities related to e -waste fraction by recycling companies . E-collection events and information campaigns about e -waste management challenges n eed to be further expanded (schools, mass media, socia l networks, local authorities) to stimulate environmental awareness of citizens. Furthermore, good cooperation between stakeholders can lead to inn ovative projects which promote both social inclusion an d suitable e-waste recycling activities . Achieving EU targets related to e -waste management sector is possible by combining the se both sides as pathways for sustainable practices in Romania . 5.1. Monitoring the EEE flows placed on th e national market and improved e-waste statistical data Any company that manufactures /imports electrical or electronic equipment is required to register with the National Environmental Protection Agency and to participate, through a collective or individual system, in the fina ncing of WEEE management as stipulated by national regulation (GEO 5/2015 ). Romania is obliged to report on the achievement of the targets for e -waste collection, re -use, recycling and /or recovery on the basis of Commission Decision 2005/369/EC. A common m ethodology for the cal culation of the quantity of e -waste generated in each Member State and the weight of EEE placed on the national market is provided by EU (on the basis of the Commission Implementing Regulation 2017/699 ) are found at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/data_en.htm . The key issue is providing reliable data at national and regional (county) levels combined with e -waste statistics data for urban areas and r ural c ommunities if possible. Diverse geographical coverage of statis tical data wi ll enable a pertinent analysis of e-waste flows in Romania. 5.2 Better inspection and moni toring of e-waste management activities In Belgium, Estonia , and Romania the ins pection plan does not cover the entire territory or does not include both collection and treatment and in five Member States (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia ) no information was available about the e xistence of effective, proportionate and dissuasive pena lties (Kling et al., 2017). In Romania, the National Environmental Guard supervise s the implementation of waste related legislation by business sector and monitor the illegal practices throughout the County Commissariats. At the local level, ille gal activi ties associated with unsound e -waste disposal activities (illegal d umping, open burning) could be supervised by local police. The responsibilities and obligations derived from environmental legislation are generally not known and individuals interests in i mproving e -waste management practices must be further stimula ted (Regions4Recycling, 2014). Also, significant amounts of e - waste are lost in scrap collection or treatment activities due to the poor e nforcement of legislation (Kling et al., 2017). Therefore , better inspection and control of collection and treatment activities are required to improve the current situation. 5.3 Expansion of ‘producer responsibility organi zations’ (PRO s) The WEEE Forum (www.weee -forum.org) is a European not -for-profit associa tion representing 32 electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE) producer compliance schemes – (alternatively referred to as ‘producer responsibility organi zations’ PRO s) including from Romania via Ecotic, Environ, and Rorec organizations. In 2014, it s member organizations reported collection, proper de -pollution , and recycling of mo re than 1.7 million tons of e -waste (Huisman et al., 2015). In Romania, there are 8 authorized PRO’s by the Mini stry of Environment which play a key role in e -waste collect ion and treatment activities across Romania. (i).Ecotic – is the first Romanian ‘producer responsibility organi zation’ related to e -waste management (founded in 2 006) cover s the interests of over 600 EEE producers and importers (https://www.ecotic.ro/despre -noi/). This organization introduced the “Green Stam p” (2007) which later became remuneration to cover the cost of WEEE collection, re -use, recycling, recovery and disposal, and consumer awareness costs based on a fee in the sale of EEE products. These activities need to be funded by EEE producers , according to national legislation (art 28 -32 of GEO 5/2015). The amounts of e -waste have increased since 2013 , from 8978 tons to 23 390 tons in 2018 ( of which 1 300 tons of hazardous compounds were extracted from e -waste) according to their last activity report (Ecotic, 2018 ). The s ame report points out that the main contributors in e -waste collection flow supervised by this organization are retailers/shops (49 %) and e -waste operators (43%) compared to public authoriti es/sanitation operators (1 %). Washing machines (35.1%) and refri gerators (29.6 %) are dominant categories of e -waste collected followed by IT&C (12.9 %) and TV& monitors (11.5 %) as reveale d by the Ecotic report (2018) . (ii) Recolamp – a non-profit organization which supports the collection and recycling activities of e-waste derived from the used lighting equipment (category 5) in Romania since 2007 (https://recol amp.ro/ ). This association is a member of Eucolight, the Euro pean network of organizations engaged in e -waste management activities associated with lighting equipment , promoting the pr inciples of the circular economy. Recolamp ha s over 13 000 collections points varying from companies, retails networks to local authorities and institutions. Recolamp collected 946.97 tons of lighting equipment e -waste (48 .57 % of producers sale s in the last 3 years) in 2017 and 3650 tons during 10 y ears of activity in this sector (Recolamp, 2017). Individuals could consult a list of locations for each county/city where the used lighting equipment can be collected in a s afe manner ( https://recolamp.ro/locatii -colt-verde/ ). (iii). Environ - is a member of WEEE Forum which m anages legal responsibilities associated with the e -waste fraction for over 600 EEE producers and importers. This non -profi t organization supervises 4000 e-waste collection points (companies, retailers , supermarkets, schools, local author ities, and other institutions). The 10 years activity repor t of this organization points out some key fig ures: 50000 t of e -waste collected (average 25 t per day); served over 700 companies and performed over 100 awar eness and collection events; ecological education activities in 1100 schools (Environ, 2017). (iv) EcoPoint aims to the development of an e -waste collection system that allows selective storage e -waste items generated by households. Thus, special recipien ts were placed in proximity areas of end -users - networks of shops, educational institutions, administrative institutions, commercial companies with specific activities, housing assemblies ( https://eco -point.ro/ ) (V) RoRec association initiate the campaign “ Recycling Patrol” a widespre ad national education program in schools ( 90000 preschool er children , pupils, students, 3000 teachers) collecting 2500 t of e -waste ( https://www.rorec.ro/despre -noi/realizari/ ) Eco-one and Ecolighting collect are another 2 non -profits organizations besides CCR LOGISTICS SYSTEMS RO S.R.L. (company) invo lved in e -waste management activi ties as licensed PRO’s. 5.4 Municipal sou rce-separated e -waste collection points Cities should be more responsible in providing separate waste collection centers where household e -waste flow could be brought by inhabitants, otherwise, the collection targets of this waste fraction will not be ach ieved only based on retailers and produc er responsibility organizations efforts. There is some pilot project in this direction which must be further expanded in other cities and towns. Piatra Neamt city has two civic amenity sites (CAS) located in two dist ricts (Darmanesti and Maratei) as part of an integrated municipal waste management system funded by the ISPA program. These sites offer a proper collection infrastructure for diverse items of household waste including e -waste, oils, batteries, construction and demolition wastes, furniture and other bulk y items , etc. Ecoviron association implemented in 2011 the project “Ecorampa” a separate waste collectio n center, which is exclusively powered by an alternate energy source in Bucharest city (Sector 1). The t en waste streams t hat can be collected at this center are: paper and cardboard, plastic, white glass, colored glass, ferrous and non -ferrous metals, tires, e -waste, bulbs , and lamps, used batteries and textiles (Ecoviron, 2011). Iasi city has a modern faci lity (since March 2016) for separate collection items resulted in households (small and bulk e -waste fractions, lamps, batteries, metals) as shown in figure 3 with a diverse range of other waste types (garden waste, construction and demolition waste, paper s and cardboard, plastics, glass, aluminium cans, textiles, oils, detergents, paints, adhesives ) free of charge for individuals. This facility was financed via Green Industry Innovation Programme (Norway Grants) with a partnershi p between Ecotic organizat ion, City H all and Salubris SA (public urban waste operator) . A particular focus is given to e -waste fraction as part of the project “ Steps for WEEE” co - financed by Norway g rants (covering 90% of costs) and implemented by Ecotic organization during 2015 -2016. This project provided 15 street e -waste collection points in Bucharest city (Sector 3) to increase the population responsibility for proposal disposal of smaller e -waste items (more info https://www.ecotic.ro/proiecte/steps -for-weee -proiect -al-organizatiei -ecotic -cofinantat -de- norway -grants/ ). SIGUREC network - https://www.sigurec.ro/ - this is a modern collection system using smart and easy to use automatic containers for dry recyclables and e-waste types (eg. batteries, light bulbs, neons) as well as a waste pick-up service from households for larger items Figure 3. E -waste collection facilities within collection center of Iasi City The recyclables are sorted, counted and weighed automatically and users receive a bounty depending on the types of waste and their quantities. The wastes collected are further sent to specific recycling com panies. This system derived from a collaboration of various stakeholders such as private sectors (retailers, Green Group, Econpaper, Romcarbon SA) Ministry of Environment, local authorities and recycling companies. Sigurec Prime is a smart collection station for recyclables (plastic bottles, plastic bags, paper and cardboard, polyst yrene , another packa ging) which include also the ESCALE machine for e -waste (lighting bulbs, batteries). Sigurec In - These are interior machines, which can be found in large re tail outlets where some e - waste items could be also collected. SIGUREC sy stems collected 14 136.81 t of e -waste so far and these collection stations are available in several urban areas ( https:// www.sigurec.ro/ro/locatii -sigurec ). 5.5. Support for special e -waste collection events and environmental awareness Local authorities should be responsible to initiate or support several e -waste collection events in both smaller urban areas and rural com munities due to the precarious current waste management facilities. These events increase the awareness towards separated e -waste collection behavior among individuals and on the other hand, to support e -waste diversion from municipal waste bins (which ult imately are disposed of in landfills) and to combat illegal dumping practices . A survey shows that 42.29% of interviewed people responded that dispose of WEEE using the formal system, while 29.25% d ispose of in the informal system so the formal system need s to be further expanded (Colesca et al., 2014). The Ecotic organization launched in 2018 a new event named “ Clean communes” dedicated for e-waste collection in rural areas. Thus, 23 tons of e -waste were collected across 36 commune s in 9 collection events while 25 campaigns in urban areas collected 42 tons of e -waste associated with “Clean cities” prog ram (Ecotic, 2018). The number of the educational and informing campaign has considerably grown in the latter years stimulating e -waste collection from househ olds (Lates and Moica, 2016). There is a web map of e -waste collection points in Romania (see https://undereciclam.ro/map/?county=&city=AIUD ) for each county and the urban area where reliable information can be found by interested individuals or economic agents. Also , organizations like Ecotic developed applications for mobile phones (e.g. ECO RADAR) to know where are the closest e -waste collections are located (see https://www.ecotic.ro/puncte -de- colectare/ ) with national coverage. Such tools help individuals to take quick decisions where and when to dispose of their e -waste items. 5.6. Certified treatment facilities The European Sta ndardization Organizations defines European standards relevant for e -waste flow concerning the collection, transport and treatment activities which are listed at the following the link: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/standards_en.htm . The implementation of such standards will provide a homogenous set of sustainable practices related to e -waste management activities. A recent study at EU level suggests the adoption of s uch quality standards (WEEELABEX, European standards on WEEE collection, transport , and treatment ) and strictly enforce the requirements for proper treatment as given by Article 8 and Annex VII of the WEEE Directive ( Kling et al., 2017 ). CENELEC is the Eu ropean Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization and is responsible for standardization in the electrotechnical engineering field (https://www.cenelec.eu ) which could help the EEE producers to provide suitable , resource -efficient, and environmental ly friendly design products and sustainable e -waste treatment practices. CENELEC or WEEELABEX standards are legally required in one form or another (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia) or implemented by agreements between producers and take -back systems as in Italy or Czech Republic (Cenelec, 2017) . Despite the fact , there are no further legal requirements to ensure proper treatment in Rom ania some treatment facilities obtain additional quality standards such as WEEELABEX certification. In 2015, Remat Holding and GreenWEEE International were the first companies to obtain such standards in Romania (Ecotic, 2015). GreenWEEE is a major player in the recycling sector of Romania which aims to recover all materials in e -wastes and finding soluti ons to their introduction into new production flows (http://greenweee.ro/ ). The WEELABEX excellence standard covers all e -waste handling, sorting, treatment , and recycling operations , including auditing all organizatio nal and management processes. In February 2009 , this company inaugurated the only recycling line in Romania designed to treat refrigeration appliances in line with international standards BATRRT (Best Available Techniques of Recovery, Recycling , and Trea tment) as well as recycling lines for IT equipment and small IT appliances (GreenWEEE, 2019). In ten yea rs of activity , the company claims recycle over 8 million items of e -waste (re frigerators, TVs, LCD, mobile phones etc) within 2 recycling p lants (Buzau and Campia Turzii since 2017) which have the total treatment capacity of 100 000 e-waste per year with 400 employees and a business of over 20 million Euros in 2018 (GreenWEEE, 2019). This company is a member of the EERA ( Electrical Equip ment Repres entatives Association) and part of Gree n Group Romania. Green Group Rom ania is the biggest integrated recycling park in South -Eastern Europe (https://www.green -group.ro/en/ , integrating the operations of six companies specialized in the collection and recycling of waste while 2 two of them are dedicated to e -waste fractions such as GreenWEEE and GreenLamp Reciclare for recycling of used lighting equipment. Green Lamp Reciclare SA claims to be the only recy cler in Romania which is using an in -house distillation process in order to separate fluorescent tubes components and other discharge lamps such as high-intensity discharge lamps (HID). Greenlamp Reciclare can recover the mercury residuals form the phospho r powder by using the Superior Distiller, this facility has a WEELABEX certification (Greenlamp, 2019). Remat Holding is authorized to collect an d treat all 10 categories of e -waste and has several special treatment plants focusing on metal wastes . Shred der Plant is dedicated for end of life vehicles (ELVs) and larg e e-waste appliances with a cap acity of 30 -50 t per hour. Eden plan t process aluminum and copper electric caldrons of all sizes of e -wastes (capacity 2 -4 t per hour) with a crushing capacity up to 4mm, separation of ferrous, non -ferrous, and non -metallic fractions by shredding, magnetic separation and pneumatic transport ( Remat Holding, 2019). This company has a treatment and dismantli ng plant for monitors and TVs ( ranging 8 -40 inch) with a cap acity of 30 pieces per hour and the materials resulted from dismantling activities of e - wastes are further recycled or disposed of ( http://rematholding.ro/colec tare-si-valorificare - deseuri -reciclabile/#DEEE3 ). This company has a widespread recycling activity including e - wastes, scrap m etals (ferrous and non -ferrous) , non -metallic wastes, batteries and accumulators and hazardous wastes. 5.7 Innovative approach for recycling and re -use of e -waste Reconnect is a project made by “Asociatia Ateliere Fara Frontiere (AFF)” which aim s to collect the e -waste and to turn into reconditioned IT equipment. These are further donated to the schools through the EDUCLICK comp uter donation platform. This association claims to collect 1010 t of e-waste of which 30 % were prepared for reuse and 70 % were processed for the material recycling purpose (AFF, 2019 ). The innovative approach of this project is social inclusion through r ecycling and treatment e - waste activities of vulnerable and marginalized individuals (18 employed persons ) combined with social and psychological support gain ing the necessary competencies to make an easier transition towards labor market. This project sho ws social , economic and environmental benefits to the community building a success story towards sustainability. Poverty and marginalized communities are significant social issues in Romania which lead to an increasing rate of school dropout amo ng the youn g. Throughout this project, 13,891 IT equipment ha s been refurbished and donated to over 2,000 schools and ass ociations all over the country, serving 415,000 beneficiaries from disadvantaged communities in Romania . Also, this project helped to recycle 603 t of e -waste (AFF, 2019). This initiative point s out the key role of environmental and social NGO’s in promoting integrated and sustainable e -waste management activities with a positive impact on the community. Besides retailers, municipalities and recycli ng companies, such NGO’s could further support recycling activities related to e -waste stream. Such projects could act as a catalyst to the improvement of current e -waste collection schemes in Romania neglected so far by municipalities and to increase the responsibility level of e -waste holders. Conclusions The c hapter points out the current challenges associated with disposal activities o f e-waste stream ( illegal dumping, open burning, landfill of e -waste) and collection schemes which need to be furth er developed across urban and rural areas. E-waste diversion from municipal bins and urban landfills towards recycling companies and treatment facilities should be a prior ity for central and local authorities besides EEE producers and importers. E-waste co llection target s are difficult to achieve without a proper formal e-waste collection infrastructure with wide geographical coverage . There is a large informal sector in Romania, therefore , the real magnitude of e-waste flow s in Roma nia is difficult to asse ss. The chapter points out several pathways for sustainable p ractices starting from better statistical data, better law enforcement , and monitoring activities; expansion of e -waste collection schemes via ‘producer responsibility organi zations’ (PRO s), retailers, and municipal e -waste collection centers; developing of e -waste collection campaigns in smaller urban areas and rural communities; certified treatment facilities ; actions for stimulating environmental awareness among citizens and innovative proje cts among stakeholders . This chapter reveals the best practices in e -waste management sector from Romania and the role of non -profit organizations in such ende avors. Their efforts provide the necessary steps towards a circular economy approach of e -waste m anagement activities.