Umweltforum Haushalt (UFH), an Austrian collection organisation, specialised in recycling electrical and electronic equipment, managed to gather in one year approximately 21,000 tons of such waste. This could be alternatively calculated as 8.3 kilograms of WEEE per inhabitant, the mass equivalent of a TV set.

This was achieved with help from services suppliers, out of which nine manage logistics only. These are local associations or private companies from Austria’s 100 districts. They contribute every year to the collection exercise, by offering storage spaces and ensuring transport of the waste.
UFH, an organisation supported by the Austrian Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water ever since 2005, is made up of two different associations: UFH Altlampen Systembetreiber, which collects only electrical equipment such as lamps and light bulbs, and UFH Elektroaltgeräte Systembetreiber, which collects only electrical and electronic equipment.

Thanks to the system implemented after the successful launching of the organisation in 2005, UFH soon became market leader in three out of the five collection and treatment categories. Their success is also due to their high ethical standards. The list of UFH’s clients confirms once more the success of this programme which has reached its sixth year. The company’s portfolio includes more than 100 clients, and its market share one year ago was approximately 45%.
The advantage of UFH is, on the other hand, the way in which the Austrian state deals with recycling. There are five major categories of electrical and electronic equipment, established by law, so that waste is recycled according to the categories: large appliances, small electrical appliances, screens and TV sets, lamps and cooling equipment.
Austrian Law includes a series of obligations for the importers, producers and distributors, as well as for local authorities, and recycling must be taken seriously. In this way, UFH has managed to have at its disposal approximately 1,800 collection points in cities and towns and 100 regional centres.