4.2.2.  ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS – ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT  /  Waste obligations and ROHS-obligations

‘Why is it obligatory to pay a contribution for waste collection and recycling for electrical and electronic equipment which is brought on the market in the EU?’
‘Which organisations in each of the Member States are responsible for collecting contributions from all companies that bring such equipment on the market and how can a company register with them?’
‘Which hazardous substances are not allowed to be used in electrical and electronic equipment?’

For an answer to these questions, look into the websites and publications presented below.

1.   Legal framework for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of the use of Hazardous Substances (ROHS) in electrical and electronic equipment in in the EU
Directives 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances (ROHS) in electrical and electronic equipment and 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are designed to tackle the fast increasing waste stream of electrical and electronic equipment and complements European Union measures on landfill and incineration of waste. Increased recycling of electrical and electronic equipment will limit the total quantity of waste going to final disposal. Producers will be responsible for taking back and recycling electrical and electronic equipment. This will provide incentives to design electrical and electronic equipment in an environmentally more efficient way, which takes waste management aspects fully into account. Consumers will be able to return their equipment free of charge. In order to prevent the generation of hazardous waste, Directive 2002/95/EC requires the substitution of various heavy metals (lead, mecury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium) and brominated flame retardants (polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)) in new electrical and electronic equipment put on the market after 1 July 2006.

Illustration of a ROHS-compliant products
Socket Saver  (Lead-free)

2. WEEE recovery organisations in the EU

This site leads to the national sites in the EU Member States of organisations involved in WEEE. Producers and importers can register via these sites in order to fulfil their obligations.