Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment: A Review of Proposed EU Legislation

The rapid growth of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is of worldwide concern. An estimated 6 million tonnes of WEEE was generated in 1998. At the current expected growth rate, the volume will double in the next twelve years. This growth is essentially attributable to the volume domestic and commercial markets where rapid developments in technology are resulting in reduced product life, which can now be less than two years. To control the waste many countries, including a number in the European Union (EU), have started to develop their own legisiation. It is against this background that the European Commission (EC) has proposed a harmonising Directive to control WEEE in the European Economic Area (EEA), preventing national legislation of individual Member States causing barriers to trade and supporting the EU's policy of a sustainable environment. However, because of the nature of the proposal, it may impact significantly on the industrial sectors of the instrumentation, control and automation industry. A current draft of the Directive comprises 17 articles, covering the objectives and scope, prevention, collection, treatment, recovery and disposal ofWEEE, with recycling targets that national governments have to achieve and report on. There are a number of annexes identifying what is covered, what is excluded, what has to be treated, requirements for storage and treatment sites, and marking requirements for products. It principally targets household waste. However, included within it are commercial, industrial, institutional and other waste. Importantly, the Directive also provides for banning the use of hazardous substances, with the most obvious effect on our industry being a ban on the use of lead in solder. The proposed Directive aims to contribute to the protection of human health and the environment. Its principal objectives are to protect soil, water and air from pollution caused by current management of WEEE, to avoid the generation of waste which has to be disposed of, and to reduce the harmfulness of WEEE. It also seeks to preserve valuable resources, in particular energy.