In 2012, the European Parliament approved the text of the new WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive, including the collection target for each Member State from 2019 onwards of 65 per cent of the annual average of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) put on market (PoM) over the three preceding years (65% PoM) or 85 per cent of the annual average of WEEE generated (85% WG). In 2011, the formal WEEE system in Italy collected only 4.29 kg/inhabitant. Although this data is limited to household waste, it nonetheless highlights the need and substantial room for improvements in the collection system and the considerable gap between Italy and many other European countries. This study, for the first time in Italy, provides evidence that will support the development of more accurate future collection targets, quantifying household WEEE generated and highlighting consumers’ WEEE disposal habits and attitudes, as well as shedding light on complementary/alternative waste streams, which, to date, account for a substantial share of WEEE arising in Italy. A combination of detailed reconstruction of the historical put on market data for different types of EEE, the quantification of the accumulated EEE stocks in households, and the creation of life-time profi les for various EEE, has enabled the formulation of reliable estimates of WEEE generated annually in Italy. These WEEE streams have been categorized into different disposal channels in order to highlight key aspects of WEEE collection and management to which legislators must pay particular attention in the defi nition of future strategies for achieving WEEE collection targets. Below are the key fi ndings of the study, based on data on household WEEE streams in Italy in 2011: