Where do I dispose of old household appliances?
e-let-tro-do-MES-ti-chi — five syllables; stress the fourth. The 'ch' before 'i' makes a 'k' sound.
Use this when you need to dispose of fridges, washing machines, televisions, computers, or any other electrical or electronic equipment. These items are RAEE (Rifiuti di Apparecchiature Elettriche ed Elettroniche) and require special handling.
RAEE (equivalent to WEEE in English) includes all electrical and electronic equipment at end of life. Under Italian and EU law, retailers must accept your old appliance for free when you buy a new equivalent item (one-for-one rule). Alternatively, take it to the isola ecologica or book a free home collection from the municipality.
Il negozio deve ritirare il vecchio quando compro il nuovo.
The shop must take back the old one when I buy the new one.
One-for-one rule; the retailer cannot refuse under Italian law.
I RAEE non si buttano nei cassonetti normali.
WEEE must not be thrown in normal bins.
Critical rule; illegal disposal of RAEE is an administrative offence.
Puoi portare il computer rotto all'isola ecologica gratuitamente.
You can take the broken computer to the recycling centre for free.
Alternative to the retailer take-back scheme.
Italy's RAEE management is coordinated by the Centro di Coordinamento RAEE (CdC RAEE), a national consortium of producers. Italy collects around 260,000 tonnes of RAEE per year — still below the EU target of 65% collection efficiency, making it an area of ongoing regulatory focus and consumer awareness campaigns.