Legislative Context

 

Electronic waste, coming from old household appliances, computers and mobile phones, is one of the main waste streams in Europe, showing a growth of around 3-5% per year. In the European Union the production of WEEE (waste of electric and electronic equipment) is around 14-20 kg per person per year.
 
To reduce the amount of WEEE being disposed of in landfills and to promote separate collection, treatment and recycling of e-waste, the EU published two Directives in 2003: the WEEE Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment management and the RoHS Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
 
The WEEE Directive:
 
  • makes producers of new electric and electronic equipment responsible for paying for the treatment and recycling of products at the end of their life
  • requires electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) to be marked with a ‘crossed out wheeled bin’ symbol;
  • sets targets for the amount of household WEEE to be separately collected (4kg per person within the end of 2008);
  • makes distributors and retailers responsible for taking back WEEE free of charge;
  • requires all separately collected WEEE to be treated;
  • introduces recycling and recovery targets for various categories of WEEE.

 

The RoHS Directive, which was introduced on July 1st 2006, seeks to reduce substances such as lead and mercury in new EEE.

 

For further information contact segreteria@ecoq.it