The transition to clean energy sources to combat climate change and new energy-intensive technological devices and equipment require some minerals, previously used in minute quantities. These critical minerals as described by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) include lithium, the family of 17 rare earths elements, cobalt, copper, and nickel. In addition to the significant challenges related to these minerals’ extraction, geographic distribution, resource utilization, waste generation, and subsequent pollution, recycling of them from waste consumer electronic products, especially of lithium and rare earths, is still in its infancy. The USA and the European Union (EU) have put in motion strategies for electronic stewardship in order to promote greener design, encourage research, and develop approaches for effective waste management of end-of-life electronic equipment. The current article presents initially the state of recycling of consumer electronic products’ waste, as well as the legislation that governs their recycling and disposal in the USA and the European Union (EU). The processes that are used for the retrieval of critical metals from waste electronic products both at the industrial and the research level are subsequently discussed. Finally, the practices in three European countries, which have put in place a comprehensive waste management structure that has attained high rates of recycling and reuse of end-of-life electronic products, are presented as a potential framework on how to design and improve an efficient, fair, and feasible electronic equipment waste management system.