Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Directives 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment and 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment 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, mercury, 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 from 1 July 2006.

Legislation

• Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Consolidated version.
• Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)
• Directive 2003/108/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 December 2003 amending Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

Secondary legislation on WEEE and RoHS:

• Commission Decision 2004/249/EC of 11 March 2004 concerning a questionnaire for Member States reports on the implementation of Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)


• Commission Decision 2005/369/EC of 3 May 2005 laying down rules for monitoring compliance of Member States and establishing data formats for the purposes of Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste electrical and electronic equipment (notified under document number C(2005) 1355).


• Commission Decision 2005/618/EC of 18 August 2005 amending Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council for the purpose of establishing the maximum concentration values for certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (notified under document number C(2005) 3143).


• Commission Decision 2005/717/EC of 13 October 2005 amending for the purposes of adapting to the technical progress the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (notified under document number C(2005) 3754).


• Commission Decision 2005/747/EC of 21 October 2005 amending for the purposes of adapting to technical progress the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (notified under document number C(2005) 4054).
• Commission Decision 2006/310/EC of 21 April 2006 amending, for the purposes of adapting to the technical progress, the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions for applications of lead (notified under document number C(2006) 1622).
• Commission Decision 2006/690/EC of 12 October 2006 amending, for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions for applications of lead in crystal glass (notified under document number C(2006) 4789)
• Commission Decision 2006/691/EC of 12 October 2006 amending, for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions for applications of lead and cadmium (notified under document number C(2006) 4790)
• Commission Decision 2006/692/EC of 12 October 2006 amending, for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions for applications of hexavalent chromium (notified under document number C(2006) 4791)

Other related documents:

• Frequently Asked Questions on Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) and Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) (pdf~2Mb)

Events

• The Review of Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: topics of review, steps in the review process including an indicative timing and stakeholder involvement are addressed in this document that will be used to keep stakeholders updated with the latest information on the review.
• Information Gathering Exercise to provide information for the review of Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Information can be submitted until 11 August 2006. An overview of the responses submitted and the electronically submitted information - unless marked "not for publication" - will be posted at the Circa web-page. This information gathering exercise is closed, but please contact the Commission services if you have relevant information material to contribute.
• Stakeholder consultation on Adaptation to scientific and technical progress under Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment for the purpose of a possible amendment of the annex. Written comments shall be submitted until 15 May 2006.
  Contributions to the Stakeholder Consultation on possible amendments of Directive 2002/95/EC can be found here. This stakeholder consultation is closed.
• Stakeholder consultation on Adaptation to scientific and technical progress under Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment for the purpose of a possible amendment of the annex. Written comments shall be submitted until 10 February 2006.
  Contributions to the Stakeholder Consultation on possible amendments of Directive 2002/95/EC can be found here. This stakeholder consultation is closed.
• Stakeholder consultation on Adaptation to scientific and technical progress under Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment for the purpose of a possible amendment of the annex. Written comments shall be submitted until 28 October 2005.
  Contributions to the Stakeholder Consultation on possible amendments of Directive 2002/95/EC can be found here. This stakeholder consultation is closed.
• Stakeholder consultation on Adaptation to scientific and technical progress under Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment for the purpose of a possible amendment of the annex. Written comments shall be submitted until 11 February 2005.
  Contributions to the Stakeholder Consultation on possible amendments of Directive 2002/95/EC can be found here. This stakeholder consultation is closed.
• The Commission services launched a stakeholder consultation on the possible amendment of the Annex of Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS). Interested parties were invited to react to the stakeholder consultation document (pdf~100K) and submit written comments (preferably in pdf format) until 5 July 2004.
  Contributions to the Stakeholder Consultation on possible amendment of the Annex of Directive 2002/95/EC can be found here.This consultation is closed.

Studies

• A research study on the implementation of the WEEE Directive in the EU25 has been carried out by AEA Technology in association with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of the Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies. The report identifies and describes regulatory and management approaches considering WEEE at worldwide level. It outlines key trends and describes the main benefits and problems in the implementation. The report identifies opportunities for harmonization and improvement in the way the Directive is being implemented across Member States. This report is available at http://www.jrc.es/home/pages/detail.cfm?prs=1408 (publications 2006).
• "2008 Review of Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)": a contract notice for a public contract was launched in the Tenders Electronically Daily "B-Brussels: environmental services" on 25 March 2006 under the reference "2006/S 59-060807". The objective of the study is to complete the information needed to inform an analysis of options for review of the Directive and to provide that analysis, in particular by giving a thorough evaluation of the impacts, efficacy and efficiency of the Directive from an environmental and economic, and as far as possible, a social perspective, by analysing the management (collection, treatment) of different categories of WEEE. The information and analysis will be used as the main content of a future impact appraisal of options for review of the Directive. The Institute of Environment and Human Security of the United Nations University (UNU-EHS) has been appointed as contractor on September 20, 2006.
• "Review of Directive 2002/95/EC" (RoHS) for the possible inclusion in the scope of this Directive, equipment which falls under categories 8 and 9 set out in Annex IA to Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE). Stakeholder Workshop of 26 April 2006, Presentation by ERA Technology.
  Interim Report of the study (pdf~1,5Mb), Final report, July 2006 (pdf~3,3Mb).
• "Technical adaptation under Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS) - Investigation of exemptions", December 2004 (pdf~1,8Mb).
• Adaptation to scientific and technical progress under Directive 2002/95/EC, Interim Report (zip~375K), October 2005.
  Final report, July 2006 (pdf~880K) - Annexes 1 (zip~1Mb), 2 (pdf~36K) and 3 (pdf~358K)