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The WEEE Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC) aims to minimise the impacts of electrical and electronic equipment on the environment during their life times and when they become waste.  It applies to a huge spectrum of products.  It encourages and sets criteria for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment.  It makes producers responsible for financing most of these activities (producer responsibility). Private householders are to be able to return WEEE without charge.

The WEEE Directive expands the recycling requirements of the ELV Directive to include a broad range of electronic and electrical appliances and equipment. It directly affects the original equipment manufacturers of the product, distributors, and recyclers of electronic and electric equipment in the Member States of the EC. Product categories included are listed in Annex 1A and are detailed in Annex 1B of the Directive. Major product categories include IT equipment, household appliances, telecommunications equipment, tools, toys, lighting, audiovisual equipment, leisure and sports equipment, medical devices, automatic dispensing equipment. The purpose of the Directive is to increase and improve the recycling of WEEE and focus attention on improved engineering designs to minimize the introduction of more WEEE.

  • The only EEE (electrical and electronic equipment) products exempted from the Directive are electronic and electrical equipment specifically connected to the protection of the member States, arms, munitions, and war material. The exemption does not apply to military product not intended specifically for military purposes.
  • Consumers will have the opportunity to return any of the included equipment to recycling centers at no charge by August 13, 2005.
  • The cost of recycling is born by the original equipment manufacturers, resellers and distributors for private households.
  • Recycling costs for equipment from other than private households will be born by the original equipment manufacturers for equipment made after August 13, 2005.
  • Recycling targets will be enforced on the equipment manufactured after December 31, 2006. The percentage targets for recycled materials escalate over time.
  • Materials and products banned in conjunction with the WEEE Directive are documented in the RoHS Directive. Certain additional exemptions on the banned product list are provided in RoHS. Banned materials must not be included in equipment manufactured after July 1, 2006.
  • Ireland and Greece have a two year extension for implementation of the Directive.
  • [www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/]

WEEE Directive, Annex 1(A), lists categories of electrical and electronic equipment covered by this Directive

[Detailed listing of these categories is listed in Annex 1(B)]:

  1. Large household appliances
  2. Small household appliances
  3. IT and telecommunications equipment
  4. Consumer equipment
  5. Lighting equipment
  6. Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
  7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
  8. Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products)
  9. Monitoring and control instruments
  10. Automatic dispensers

WEEE Article 2(3) states that equipment for military applications is exempt:

"Equipment which is connected with the protection of the essential interests of the security of Member States, arms, munitions and war material shall be excluded from this Directive. This does not, however, apply to products which are not intended for specifically military purposes."

List of products which shall be taken into account for the purpose of this Directive and which fall under the categories of Annex IB

1. Large household appliances

  • Large cooling appliances
  • Refrigerators
  • Freezers
  • Other large appliances used for refrigeration, conservation and storage of food
  • Washing machines
  • Clothes dryers
  • Dish washing machines
  • Cooking
  • Electric stoves
  • Electric hot plates
  • Microwaves
  • Other large appliances used for cooking and other processing of food
  • Electric heating appliances
  • Electric radiators
  • Other large appliances for heating rooms, beds, seating furniture
  • Electric fans
  • Air conditioner appliances
  • Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment

2. Small household appliances

  • Vacuum cleaners
  • Carpet sweepers
  • Other appliances for cleaning
  • Appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing for textiles
  • Irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing
  • Toasters
  • Fryers
  • Grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages
  • Electric knives
  • Appliances for hair-cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances
  • Clocks, watches and equipment for the purpose of measuring, indicating or registering time
  • Scales

3. IT and telecommunications equipment

  • Centralised data processing:
  • Mainframes
  • Minicomputers
  • Printer units
  • Personal computing:
  • Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)
  • Laptop computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)
  • Notebook computers
  • Notepad computers
  • Printers
  • Copying equipment
  • Electrical and electronic typewriters
  • Pocket and desk calculators
  • and other products and equipment for the collection, storage, processing, presentation or communication of information
  • by electronic means
  • User terminals and systems
  • Facsimile
  • Telex
  • Telephones
  • Pay telephones
  • Cordless telephones
  • Cellular telephones
  • Answering systems
  • and other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by telecommunications

4. Consumer equipment

  • Radio sets
  • Television sets
  • Videocameras
  • Video recorders
  • Hi-fi recorders
  • Audio amplifiers
  • Musical instruments
  • And other products or equipment for the purpose of recording or reproducing sound or images, including signals or other technologies for the distribution of sound and image than by telecommunications

5. Lighting equipment

  • Luminaires for fluorescent lamps with the exception of luminaires in households
  • Straight fluorescent lamps
  • Compact fluorescent lamps
  • High intensity discharge lamps, including pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps
  • Low pressure sodium lamps
  • Other lighting or equipment for the purpose of spreading or controlling light with the exception of filament bulbs

6. Electr ical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)

  • Drills
  • Saws
  • Sewing machines
  • Equipment for turning, milling, sanding, grinding, sawing, cutting, shearing, drilling, making holes, punching,
  • folding, bending or similar processing of wood, metal and other materials
  • Tools for riveting, nailing or screwing or removing rivets, nails, screws or similar uses
  • Tools for welding, soldering or similar use
  • Equipment for spraying, spreading, dispersing or other treatment of liquid or gaseous substances by other means
  • Tools for mowing or other gardening activities

7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment

  • Electric trains or car racing sets
  • Hand-held video game consoles
  • Video games
  • Computers for biking, diving, running, rowing, etc.
  • Sports equipment with electric or electronic components
  • Coin slot machines

8. Medical devices (wi th the exception of all implanted and infected products)

  • Radiotherapy equipment
  • Cardiology
  • Dialysis
  • Pulmonary ventilators
  • Nuclear medicine
  • Laboratory equipment for in-vitro diagnosis
  • Analysers
  • Freezers
  • Fertilization tests
  • Other appliances for detecting, preventing, monitoring, treating, alleviating illness, injury or disability

9. Monitoring and control instruments

  • Smoke detector
  • Heating regulators
  • Thermostats
  • Measuring, weighing or adjusting appliances for household or as laboratory equipment
  • Other monitoring and control instruments used in industrial installations (e.g. in control panels)

10. Automatic dispensers

  • Automatic dispensers for hot drinks
  • Automatic dispensers for hot or cold bottles or cans
  • Automatic dispensers for solid products
  • Automatic dispensers for money
  • All appliances which deliver automatically all kind of products