The revisions to the WEEE Directive, which has been in force since February 2003, but was only transposed into UK law in July 2007, would see the end of the current four kilogram per head of population/per year national target for collecting waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Variable
Instead, a new variable target will mean that, from 2016, all EU member states have to collect 65% of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market in their country in the previous two years.
Explaining this, the Commission said: “The current fixed target is not ambitious enough for the Member States where a large amount of WEEE is generated per household, at the same time this target is too ambitious for new Member States where the level of waste generated is lower.”
The rate will apply to both household and non-household WEEE and is likely to increase the amount of WEEE that the UK has to collect, after it comfortably exceeded the 4kg target for the 2007 compliance period (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, the changes were labelled “timid” by the European Environmental Bureau, with the environmental NGO – Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' organisations – industry group calling for the introduction of separate targets for small WEEE.
EEB waste and product policy officer, Nathalie Cliquot, said: “Increased separate collection of waste electrical and electronic appliances is key to the success of take-back and recycling schemes, and this needs to be supported by clear producer responsibility objectives”
“We know that ‘small’ WEEE, such as energy-saving lamps containing toxic mercury or mobile phones, tend to be kept in the drawers or disposed of in the residual municipal bin. These products deserve extra efforts through dedicated collection target,” she added.
Alongside the changed in targets, the Commission has also proposed to give greater priority to reuse, including the reuse of whole appliances in the recycling and reuse targets and, as a result, increasing overall weight-based targets by 5%, while medical devices will also be included.
And, it also plans to change the RoHS Directive to “clarify” its scope and definitions, creating a list of products to define its scope within each product category and including medical devices and monitoring and control instruments within the Directive for the first time.
Impact
As modern society increasingly relies on electrical and electronic equipment it is very important that they have as little impact on the environment as possible
Stavros Dimas
Announcing the proposals, the European Environment Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, said: “As modern society increasingly relies on electrical and electronic equipment it is very important that they have as little impact on the environment as possible.
“Making sure that certain hazardous substances do not find their way into these products and that they are properly collected and recycled when no longer used is absolutely vital.”
“This is an opportunity for EU companies to innovate and have access to valuable raw materials as the EU seeks to maintain its leadership role in becoming a resource-efficient economy which minimises the products' environmental and health effects throughout their life-cycle,” he added.
The proposed changes to the WEEE Directive follow a consultation which was launched in April 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story), and would also allow producers to register in just one EU member state for all their activities in the EU.
The Commission has estimated this, and generally “harmonising the registration and reporting obligations for producers” could bring them savings of 60 million Euros (£52 million).
It has stressed particular concerns over WEEE that is not being treated within the system, with an emphasis on illegal trade and exports of equipment.
And, in a statement, it said that it aimed to “strengthen Member States' inspection and monitoring, especially as controlling waste treatment and waste shipments is concerned” and proposed “minimum monitoring requirements” for shipping WEEE.
However, the plans have already been criticised, with EU technology industry body EICTA's director general, Mark MacGann, saying that: “The latest proposal defines a set of unrealistic and unreachable targets because it does not take into account the fact that a market for recyclables already exists.
“The Commission has seriously underestimated the volume of electrical and electronic waste collected and recycled by non-producer organisations,” he added.
And, he warned that: “When recycled materials prices are competitive, it will be virtually impossible for producers to get hold of enough waste to meet the proposed collection targets.”
RoHS
The proposed changes to the RoHS Directive, meanwhile, see no more substances being added to the list of those that are restricted within electrical equipment.
But, they do involve the “priority assessment” of four more substances, and an attempt to tie in any further substance bans with the EU's legislation for chemicals, REACH.
However, the decision not to set definite additional targets for phasing out hazardous substances was criticised by environmental groups on mainland Europe.
“Today's proposed rejection of both NGOs and progressive companies support for additional substance bans has done a great disservice to those companies that are working hard to achieve green design” claimed Jerker Ligthart, project coordinator at chemical industry campaign group ChemSec.
“The current Directive has been the leading legislative policy for phasing out six of the most dangerous chemical groups used in electronics. The Commission has effectively set back the clock on further innovation in this important industry sector,” he added.
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