Taiwan – 06/03/12
EU completes revised version of WEEE directive
No. 02/ 2012
On December 20, 2011, the European Parliament and the European Council reached an agreement on a revised version of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. This agreement was approved by the European Parliament on January 19, 2012, with the main revision being the calculation of the recycling rate for waste electrical and electronic equipment.
Prior to the proposed revision, the recycling rate for waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) was calculated at 4 kg per resident per year, a method that would continue for four years from the date the revised directive came into effect. However, from the fifth year onwards, for the next three years, the WEEE recycling rate will be calculated at 45% of the weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market. This seven-year period will serve as a transition period. After the transition period, EU member states will have the right to choose their own method for calculating the WEEE recycling rate. These two options are: 65% of the weight of equipment placed on the market or 85% of the weight of discarded equipment.
Furthermore, according to Article 2(b) and Annex III, the transition period will include only 6 categories of equipment, instead of the original 10 categories. This 10-category classification will only apply to a transition period, after which a so-called "open scope" will be introduced. The old directive only defined specific product categories, but the "open scope" means that all equipment conforming to the directive's definition will be included.
Another revision concerns the definition of a manufacturer, which has been expanded from "an entity that introduces equipment into a designated country" to include "any entity placing equipment on the market." All manufacturers' registration information will be stored online, and this information will be accessible to all member states.
source
European Parliament Legislative (English version only)
For the full details, please refer to the original document.
