Measuring spatial access to the recovery networks for WEEE: An in-depth analysis of the Italian case

The regulation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) industry is of priority importance in the environmental and circular economy agenda of the EU. Within the EU legislation, the Member States must undertake appropriate policies to increase the amount of waste reintroduced in the supply chain. To this end, as the literature suggests, the design of adequate collection infrastructures and geographical proximity to dedicated facilities, named Collection Centers (CCs), are key factors affecting users' willingness to deliver WEEE. In this work, we propose a systematic approach to evaluate the users’ spatial access to WEEE networks. Specifically, we introduce a dashboard of quantitative indicators to assess the presence of sufficient CCs for the take-back service given the demand in a given area (availability) and at measuring the proximity between consumers and CCs (accessibility). We perform an extensive application to the Italian case, which proves the capability of the proposed indicators to: (i) allow comparative analysis among different areas of the country; (ii) shed light on the impact of spatial dimensions on the amount of collected waste; (iii) support decisions concerning the optimal location of new CCs. In this latter regard, we also discuss, formalize and test possible strategies for expanding the network.