The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.
Why recycle?
Because of certain substances used in electronic equipment, throwing out old electronic devices along with regular garbage can hurt the environment and even threaten human health. So the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive requires that these devices be marked with the above symbol, which reminds people not to throw away such items as unsorted waste.
EU Member States are also required to achieve high levels of collection of these devices for environmentally sound disposal. The success of this policy will depend on the active contributions of people like you.
So, before you toss your old phone or computer or other device, think for a moment. Could you reuse it? Recover it? Turn it into cash? By extending the life of your device -- or at least returning it to a facility dedicated to its proper disposal youʼll reduce waste and help the EU meet its goals, and help the environment.