Frequently asked questions on WEEE

What does WEEE stand for?

What's the problem with electrical and electronic waste?

Electrical and electronic waste is made up of many different materials and components, some of which are toxic and hazardous.

Each electrical and electronic piece of equipment consists of a combination of several basic building blocks, such as circuit boards/assemblies, plastics containing flame retardants, batteries and mercury switches.

Up to now more than 90% of electrical and electronic waste was landfilled, incinerated or recovered without any pre-treatment. This means that the pollutants could contaminate air, water and soil.

Today, citizens are likely to generate between 17 and 20kg of WEEE per head a year. WEEE is the fastest growing waste stream, growing three times faster than the average waste stream.

What are we doing about the problem?

The EU has adopted two Directives that tackle the issue. The Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE Directive) aims to prevent the generation of electrical and electronic waste and to promote reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery in order to reduce the quantity of such waste to be eliminated through landfilling or incineration.

It therefore requires the collection of WEEE, recovery and reuse/recycling. Where appropriate, priority should be given to reuse of the whole appliance.

The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS Directive) seeks to substitute lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in electrical and electronic equipment, where alternatives are available.

What are the WEEE Directive's main provisions and deadlines?

The Directives came into force in 2003, and Member States had to transpose them into national legislation by 13 August 2004.

All products put on the market since 13 August 2005 must be marked with a crossed-out rubbish bin, so consumers will know that they cannot simply throw away these products.

New financing systems came into effect to cover the collection, treatment, recovery and elimination of WEEE. When producers put a new product on the market, they will have to provide a financial guarantee (e.g. an insurance, money in a blocked account, or participation in a collective scheme), to cover these costs.

This should prevent a situation where nobody takes care of "orphan products" - old electrical and electronic products whose producers no longer exist.

For "historical WEEE" - products put on the market before 13 August 2005 - producers must join a collective system. Collective financing can take the form of a flat-rate levy or a fee on new equipment.

By 31 December 2006, Member States had to ensure a rate of separate collection of 4 kg per inhabitant and year. Producers shall meet various recovery and recycling/reuse targets for WEEE sent for treatment, calculated based on the average weight of the appliances in question.

What are the provisions and deadlines for the RoHS Directive?

By 1 July 2006, producers were no longer allowed to put on the market electrical and electronic equipment that contained the hazardous substances lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

An Annex to the Directive contains a list of exemptions from the substance ban for which alternatives are not available.

The Directive also allows for amendments to the Annex to adapt the list of exemptions to scientific and technical progress - if the elimination of the hazardous substances is technically or scientifically impracticable or if the negative environmental, health and consumer safety impacts caused by the substitution outweigh the environmental, health or consumers safety benefits.

What are the roles of Member States, consumers and the European Commission?

Member States: They must transpose the provisions of the WEEE and RoHS Directives into national legislation, and ensure that producers meet all their obligations.

Consumers: Consumers should no longer simply throw away old electrical and electronic equipment. They should be able to return it on a 1:1 basis to shops when purchasing a new product, as well as to other collection points, both free of charge.

New electrical and electronic products must carry a sign showing a crossed-out rubbish bin to inform consumers that they cannot be disposed of as unsorted waste. By separately collecting WEEE and bringing it to collection points, citizens will contribute to sound reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery.

Commission: The Commission is supporting the implementation of the two Directives. It is providing guidance to the Member States on interpretation issues related to the Directives.

How much will all this cost? Will it harm the industry's competitiveness? Will it make prices of electrical equipment go up?

The provisions of the two Directives apply without discrimination to EU and non-EU producers. Similarly, the costs of substitutes for hazardous substances dealt with by the RoHS Directive will be borne by EU and non-EU producers alike. Competition is thus not harmed.

The overall cost for compliance with the WEEE Directive is estimated at €500-900 million per year EU-wide. Of this, €300-600 million will be spent on collection and €200-300 million on recovery, reuse and recycling.

The resulting price increase is estimated to range from 1% for most of the electrical and electronic equipment to 2-3% for refrigerators, TV sets and monitors. The costs and price increases seem justified given the benefits that the two Directives will bring in terms of protecting human health and the environment.