What is the WEEE Directive?
Production of electrical and electronic equipment is one of the fastest growing domains of manufacturing in the western world, and with broad consumer take up of products in this arena, there is also a mounting issue of waste.
- By 1998, six million tonnes of WEEE were generated in Europe, a volume that is expected to increase by 3-5% per annum.
- Moreover, as some of this electrical and electronic equipment may include hazardous materials (e.g. lead, cadmium) it risks causing environmental problems if the waste is not handled effectively.
In June 2000, the European Commission put forward proposals to address this issue, and in December 2002 these were passed as the EU Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Directive.
The major provisions of the WEEE Directive are:
- To make manufacturers (or anyone else putting a product on the market in the EU) liable to pay for take-back, treatment and recycling of end-of-life equipment.
- To improve re-use/recycling of WEEE.
- To ensure the separate collection of WEEE.
- To inform the public about their role in dealing with WEEE.
EU member states now have until 13 August 2004 to transpose the legislation into national law.
