What is the objective?
The utmost aims of the WEEE Directive are to reduce the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment that piles up in landfills and to enhance a more efficient environmental protection. The Official Journal of the European Parliament has published the NEW WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU on 24 July 2012; nearly ten years after the first WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC & 2003/108/EC
What are the main amendments?
The amended recast Directive sets higher and more concrete targets for waste collection on both EU and national level; (The existing EU collection target is 4 kg of WEEE per capita, by 2020, the final target of the new Directive roughly 20kg per capita):
- From 2016 onwards, Member States will be required to ensure that 45 % of electrical and electronic equipment sold in each country is collected;
- By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia may, because of their lack of the necessary infrastructure and their low level of EEE consumption, (Article 7 para 3)
- From 2018 onwards, the scope of the Directive is widened from today’s categories to all electrical and electronic equipment;
- From 2019 onwards, the collection target is raised to 65 % of electrical and electronic equipment sold, or the alternative measure of 85 % of WEEE generated;
All EU Member State has 18 months to transpose the current Directive into National Law;
NEW ARTICLES of the WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU
1. Article 6 Disposal and transport of collected WEEE;
2. Article 7 Collection rate;
3. Article 9 Permits;
4. Article 10 Shipments of WEEE;
5. Article 15 Information for treatment facilities
6. Article 16 Registration, information and reporting
7. Article 17 Authorised representative
8. Article 18 Administrative cooperation and exchange of information
9. Article 19 Adaptation to scientific and technical progress
10. Article 20 Exercise of the delegation.
11. Article 21 Committee procedure
12. Article 25 Repeal
NEW ANNEXES of the WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU
1. Indicative list of EEE which falls within the categories of Annex I
2. Categories of EEE covered by thi Directive
3. Non-exhaustive list of EEE which falls within the categories listed in Annex III
4. Minimum recovery targets referred to in Article 11
5. Minimum requirements for shipments
6. Information for Registration and reporting reffered to in Article 16
7. Repealed Directive with its successive amendments
Who does it apply to?
The New WEE Directive is imposed on national and local government, EEE manufacturers, distributors, vendors and consumers; including ‘distributors, who are using distance and electronic selling channels’ and ‘distance communication’.
To comply with the NEW WEEE, it is still required for those placing EEE on the EU market to register with a Producer Compliance Scheme which will ensure the proper ‘Take Back’ process and handle WEEE.
How does it apply to Medical Devices?
To read about the NEW WEEE Directive’s affect Medical Devices.
Registration and reporting
The NEW WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU requires each Member State to ensure that EEE producers are registered; this serves as to monitor compliance with the requirements of this Directive. When a producer or producers supplying EEE by means of distance communication, are not registered in the Member State that they are selling to, they shall appoint an European Authorized Representative (EAR) to fulfill the requirements given by the Directive as well as to register on their behalf.
Appointing such representative enhances the proper functioning of the internal market and reduces administrative burdens.
How to show compliance with the WEEE Directive?
The WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU, requires producers to appropriately mark EEE placed on the European market with the symbol shown in Annex IX.
The Annex IX specifies that the symbol indicating separate collection for EEE consists of the crossed-out wheeled bin, as shown below – The symbol must be printed visibly, legibly and indelibly.
The repealing WEEE Directive indicates the manner in which this appropriate mark is to be affixed on EEE to be preferably in accordance with the European standard EN/ISO 50419:2005. Normally, one can expect the WEEE symbol to be printed on the packaging, on the instructions for use and on the warranty of the EEE.
NOTE: same as the WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC & 2003/108/EC,as one of its essential requirements, the NEW WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU does not impose the CE marking as one of its essential requirements.
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