WEEE introduction

WEEE treatment

European Union's WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste of Electronic and Electrical Equipment has now been transposed in national laws and has become effective. The manufacturers became financially responsible for the compliance to the directive since 13 August 2005. Failure to comply with the directive will lead the manufacturers to prosecution. This symbol must be printed visibly, legibly and indelibly.

Besides the requirements for selective treatment for materials and components of WEEE- Waste of Electronic and Electrical Equipment, the WEEE Directive obligates member states to establish and maintain a registry of producers putting electrical and electronic equipment onto the market. So far, there does not exist a centralized European registration office.

Producers must register in every individual EU country. Without the WEEE registration a product can not be placed on in the EU market!

	Producers will be expected to pay an annual registration fee to the appropriate Agency.
	Producers, or compliance schemes acting on their behalf, will be required to report data on the amount of EEE which they put onto the market.
	Producers will be required to report this data annually to the Agencies. It will be an offence not to do so.

	reduce the waste arising from electrical and electronic equipment; and
	improve the environmental performance of all those involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic products.

	Private householders will be able to return their WEEE to collection facilities free of charge;
	Producers (manufacturers, sellers, distributors) will be responsible for taking back and recycling electrical and electronic equipment.
	Producers will be required to achieve a series of demanding recycling and recovery targets for different categories of appliance

1. Large household appliances
2. Small household appliances
3. IT and telecommunications equipment
4. Consumer equipment
5. Lighting equipment
6. Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
8. Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products)
9. Monitoring and control instruments
10. Automatic dispensers

(For any other information, please refer to Environment Directorate-General of the European Commission)

Documents:

• Press release on the proposed revised WEEE and RoHS directive (Dec 2008)
• Proposal for a revised directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (Dec 2008)
• Impact assessment on the proposed directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (Dec 2008)
• Summary of the impact assessment on WEEE (Dec 2008)
• Questions and answers on the WEEE proposal (Dec 2008)
• Proposal for a revised directive placing restrictions on certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (Dec 2008)
• Impact assessment on the proposed directive placing restrictions on certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (Dec 2008)
• Summary of the impact assessment on RoHS (Dec 2008)
• Questions and answers on the RoHS proposal (Dec 2008)