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WEEE Directive – 2002/96/EC (and its amendments) – EU Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

The EEE shall include a unique identification of the producer, which can be the brand name, trademark, company registration number or other suitable means of identification.

The above registration shall be registered with each Member State in which the sample is placed on the market, as per Article 12(1) of the WEEE Directive.

The Symbol “Crossed-Out Wheeled Bin”

The EEE shall include the marking of a crossed-out wheeled bin with a bar underneath, as shown below. This marking shall be accessible, durable, legible and indelible. It shall remain legible and not easily removed or show curling after rubbing for 15 s with a cloth soaked in water, then rubbing for another 15 s with a cloth soaked in petroleum spirit (e.g. hexane). Markings merely printed on plain paper labels, without a protective coating, are likely to be obliterated by such rubbing and fail.

The height (h): h>0.3a and h>1mm; the dimensional relationship of the marking is as follows:

WEEE symbol.jpg

WEEE Directive

The importer / manufacturer can choose to fulfil the following obligation either individually* or by joining a collective scheme**.

Under the WEEE Directive, importers and manufacturers shall provide at least for the financing of the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of electronic wastes from private households deposited at collection facilities.

Importers and manufacturers shall meet the targets for recovery of electronic wastes as specified in the WEEE Directive.

*Individual take back plan

Importers and manufacturers have to consult national legislation in order to write their own waste management plan. The plan is needed to be submitted to the UK supervising governmental agencies for approval.

It is advised that consultation should be via national authorities (European or national trade/industry association).

**Collective take back system

Importers and manufacturers can become a member of a national collective take back system in the UK / EU Member States.

The Directive applies to the following electrical and electronic equipment (EEE)***

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. Automatic dispensers

9. Electric light bulbs

10.Luminaires in households

***EEE in this Directive are defined as those designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1000 volts for alternating current and 1500 volts for direct current

Product design

This Directive encourages the design and production of electrical and electronic equipment which take into account and facilitate dismantling and recovery, in particular the reuse and recycling of WEEE, their components and materials.

Separate collection

Systems are set up allowing final holders and distributors to return such waste at least free of charge. EU Member States shall ensure the availability and accessibility of the necessary collection facilities

Distributors shall be responsible for ensuring that such waste can be returned to the distributor at least free of charge

Producers are allowed to set up and operate individual and/or collective take-back systems for WEEE from private households

EU Member States shall ensure that all WEEE collected is transported to treatment*** facilities unless the appliances are reused as a whole.

EU Member States shall ensure that by 31 December 2006 at the latest a rate of separate collection of at least four kilograms on average per inhabitant per year of WEEE from private households is achieved.

EU Member States shall establish a new mandatory target of seprate collection rate by 31 December 2008.

***treatment means any activity after the WEEE has been handed over to a facility for depollution, disassembly, shredding, recovery or preparation for disposal and any other operation carried out for the recovery and/or the disposal of the WEEE;

Treatment***

Producers or third parties should set up systems to provide for the treatment of WEEE

The treatment shall, as a minimum, include the removal of all fluids

A selective treatment is included in Annex B

EU Member States may set up minimum quality standards for the treatment of collected WEEE.

EU Member States shall ensure that any establishment or undertaking carrying out treatment operations obtains a permit from the competent authorities

EU Member States shall ensure that any establishment or undertaking carrying out treatment operations stores and treats WEEE in compliance with the technical requirements set out in Annex C.

***Treatment means any activity after the WEEE has been handed over to a facility for depollution, disassembly, shredding, recovery or preparation for disposal and any other operation carried out for the recovery and/or the disposal of the WEEE;

Recovery

By 31 December 2006, producers shall meet the following targets:

For WEEE falling under categories 1 and 10 of Section 3.2.1,

- the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 80 % by an average weight per appliance, and

- component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 75 % by an average weight per appliance;

For WEEE falling under categories 3 and 4 of Section 3.2.1,

- the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 75 % by an average weight per appliance, and

- component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 65 % by an average weight per appliance;

For WEEE falling under categories 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9 of Section 3.2.1,

- the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 70 % by an average weight per appliance, and

- component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 50 % by an average weight per appliance;

For gas discharge lamps, the rate of component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall reach a minimum of 80 % by weight of the lamps.

Producers or third parties shall keep records on the mass of WEEE, their components, materials or substances when entering (input) and leaving (output) the treatment facility and/or when entering (input) the recovery or recycling facility.

By 31 December 2008, EU Member States shall establish new targets for recovery and reuse/recycling for the products falling under category 8 of Section 3.2.1

Interpretation

This Directive covers EEE where the basic (primary) function cannot be fulfilled when the electric current is off. If the electrical energy is used only for support or control functions this type of equipment is not covered by the Directive. Examples for the latter are combustion engine with ignition, gas cooker with electric clock, … etc.

Batteries

Batteries incorporated in EEE once the equipment becomes waste

This Directive applies to batteries incorporated in EEE once the equipment becomes waste. In this case, they will be collected together with the EEE on the basis of this Directive. This has consequences for producer reponsibility. For batteries incorporated in EEE, battery producer will only become responsible for further treatment after those batteries are removed from the collected WEEE. Therefore, the batteries which are collected together with the WEEE are included in the WEEE collection target and, after removal, for the collection rate of the battery Directive

Batteries which are incoporated into other products

Batteries which are incoporated into other products (such as cars or EEE) will be collected automatically together with those other products at the moment they become waste. On the basis of Directive 2000/53/EC on End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) and the WEEE Directive, it is the producer of the car/EEE who covers the costs of collection, and the collected car/EEE have to be handed over to an authorised treatment facility. On the basis of the minimum treatment requirements in those Directives, the batteries are to be removed from the collected ELV appliance as a minimum treatment requiremnt. From then on, the battery producer is responsible for covering the costs of further treatment of the batteries. The interface would be between the battery producer and the treatment facility when the batteries are removed from the car/EEE.

Exemption

Equipment which is connected with the protection of the essential interests of the security of EU Member States, arms, munitions and war material shall be excluded from this Directive. This does not, however, apply to products which are not intended for specifically military purposes.

Interpretation

For the purpose of this Directive, the followings are exempted:

- Fixed installations like heating plants, industrial installations

- Lifts

- Control and monitoring equipment used in oil and gas electronics

- Frequency conveters

- Car radio and other equipment designed for being used in a product covered by the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV)