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The Directive
WEEE is the European Community directive
2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment which, together with the RoHS Directive
2002/95/EC, became European Law in February 2003, setting collection, recycling and recovery targets for all
types of electrical goods.
The WEEE Directive obliged the twenty five EU member states to transpose its provisions
into national law by 13 August 2004. As the national transposition of the WEEE Directive varies between the member
states, a patchwork of requirements and compliance solutions is emerging across Europe.
Who does it affect?
Those involved in manufacturing, selling, distributing, recycling or treating
electrical and electronic equipment. This includes:
- household appliances
- IT and telecommunications equipment
- audiovisual and lighting equipment
- electrical and electronic tools
- toys, leisure and sports equipment
- medical devices and automatic dispensers.
The Responsibilities
The EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) requires
that producers of electronic equipment who sell into EU countries:
- Label their equipment to notify customers that it needs to be recycled
- Take back the equipment from customers at end of life
- Finance its recycling and reuse.
The bottom line is that few clear guidelines have been set to ensure WEEE
collection and processing. However it is clear that WEEE collection facilities must be freely and easily available for each country to meet its minimum requirements. The EU deadline for final WEEE legislation is expected to be late 2004, with full compliance from 13 August 2005.
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