EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and EC Directive on the
Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances
in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ROHS)

Index

1. Latest Information  
2. Consultation on Government implementation proposals - ends 1 March 2004  
3. Consultation - supporting documents  
4. Previous Government consultation  
5. EU Developments  
6. Summary of the WEEE and RoHS Directives  
7. Timetable  
8. Other documents  
9. Useful links  

1. Latest Information

This section summarises key recent developments. More details and links to documents are provided in sections below.

The Government is planning implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directives. They are required to be transposed into UK law by 13 August 2004. The Government published on 25 November 2003 a consultation paper inviting views on proposals for how it may implement the WEEE and RoHS Directives. The consultation paper can be downloaded from this website. Please see below for details.

DTI and DEFRA are organising a series of awareness raising seminars on the WEEE and ROHS Directives. These seminars are free of charge. They should be of particular interest to any organisations involved in the importing, manufacture, distribution or retail of electronic products and refurbishment of old electrical products. For further details, please click on the link below.

• WEEE and ROHS awareness raising seminars. Posted 11 November 2003 

Are you in business and want to find out what you need to do to prepare for the WEEE and RoHS Directives? If so, the following guides should help. They have been produced by Envirowise in association with business and can be viewed/downloaded by clicking  on the link below.

• Envirowise guides on the WEEE and ROHS Directives

At EU level, the Technical Adaptation Committee (TAC), chaired by the European Commission and comprising of Member State representatives, is considering follow up issues for the WEEE and RoHS Directives. Recent discussions have focussed on issues surrounding the scope of the Directives, together with other implementation matters. Informal UK notes of recent EU discussions are presented below. The UK hosted an informal workshop of TAC national representatives in London on 24 October to consider a range of implementation issues.

Following concerns raised by business about the potential negative effects of financing rules on historic waste from non-household sources, the European Commission has proposed a draft Directive to amend Article 9 of the WEEE Directive. This has been welcomed by both the European Council and Parliament and is expected to be finally agreed shortly. 

More details on these EU developments is provided below.

2.Consultation on Government implementation proposals- ends 1 March 2004

The Government published on 25 November 2003 a consultation paper setting out proposals for implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directives.  The consultation is issued in Northern Ireland on 28 November 2003.

This consultation will close on Monday 1 March 2004.  You can respond either to DTI or to the Devolved Administrations for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The consultation paper is in three parts, for ease of reference.  These can be downloaded from this website as three separate documents.  Part I provides an overview of the Government’s proposed approach to implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directives.  It summarises the main proposals and the Government thinking behind these.  It also includes the contact details for responses to the consultation.  Part II sets out detailed proposals for implementation of the WEEE Directive.  Part III presents the Government’s proposals for implementation of the RoHS Directive.

Parts I, II and III can be viewed/downloaded as separate documents, by clicking on the links below.  Alternatively, they can also be obtained from the DTI by contacting Gordon Tarrant at gordon.tarrant@dti.gsi.gov.uk  (tel: 0207 215 5823).

• Part I – Overview of Government’s implementation proposals. 

• Part II – Proposals for WEEE implementation  

• Part III – Proposals for  ROHS implementation 

3.  Consultation - supporting documents

The Government has also made available a set of supporting documents to the consultation paper.  These present work which underpins the implementation proposals.

These documents are listed below.  They can be viewed/downloaded by clicking on the links below.  You can also obtain hard copies of these by contacting Gordon Tarrant at gordon.tarrant@dti.gsi.gov.uk  (tel: 0207 215 5823).

• Partial regulatory impact assessment of the Government’s implementation strategy for the WEEE Directive.

• Updated partial regulatory impact assessment on the RoHS Directive;

• Partial regulatory impact assessment on the WEEE Directive, 28 March 2003.

• Partial regulatory impact assessments on the RoHS Directive, 28 March 2003.

The DTI has commissioned an assessment by consultants Future Energy Solutions (AEA Technology plc) of WEEE schemes in other European countries. 

• Future Energy Solutions study of European WEEE schemes.

The DTI has also commissioned a series of short factual reports from consultants Perchards on existing WEEE related measures and what kind of transposition plans are developing in other Member States. This initial round up will be updated in future on a quarterly basis. 

• Perchards report on other Member States.

The DTI has commissioned a report from accountants KPMG into the accounting implications of the WEEE Directive.  This report is intended to stimulate debate on these matters and the DTI would welcome consultation responses from businesses and their auditors.

• KPMG report on accounting implications of the WEEE Directive.

DEFRA has commissioned a study by consultants Network Recycling on the UK’s civic amenity site infrastructure and its capacity to collect WEEE separately.

• Network Recycling report on civic amenity sites.

4.  Previous Government consultation

The Government conducted a previous round of consultation on options for implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directives in a Discussion Document, which was published on 28 March 2003.  This earlier Discussion Document may be viewed/downloaded via this link.

• Discussion Document on implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directives.

The links below may be used to view/download an analysis of the 316 responses received to this Discussion Document.  This analysis aims to be factual and can be viewed as a whole or just the WEEE or RoHS elements. A DTI executive summary gives an overview and initial reactions to the responses.  Copies of the individual responses listed in the annex can be obtained on request provided the authors have not asked for them to remain confidential.  Requests should be addressed to Gordon Tarrant at gordon.tarrant@dti.gsi.gov.uk  (tel: 0207 215 5823).

• WEEE and RoHS combined: factual and statistical analysis of the responses to the WEEE and RoHS consultation of 28 March 2003.  Posted 1 August 2003.

• WEEE report only.  Posted 1 August 2003

• RoHS report only.  Posted 1 August 2003

• DTI executive summary and comments on the responses on both the WEEE and RoHS Directives.

5.  Latest EU developments

The European Commission has just issued a draft Decision that will establish the maximum concentration values for the RoHS Directive. Please note that, to date, Member State representatives have not discussed the wording of this Decision in any meetings of the TAC. The deadline for comments is given as 9 January 2004. If you intend to reply, it would be helpful if you could send a copy to Steve Andrews (email steven.andrews@dti.gsi.gov.uk). Click here to access a copy.

Information on recent meetings of the EU Technical Adaptation Committee is provided below:

• Unofficial note of meeting of Technical Adaptation Committee, 26 November 2003

• Unofficial note of meeting of Technical Adaptation Committee Sub-Group on scope of the WEEE and RoHS Directives 16 September 2003

• Unofficial note of meeting of Technical Adaptation Committee Sub-Group on scope of the WEEE and RoHS Directives 11 July 2003

• Unofficial note of meeting of Technical Adaptation Committee, 23 June 2003

The UK hosted an informal workshop of TAC national representatives in London on 24 October to consider a range of implementation issues.

• Unofficial note of Technical Adaptation Committee workshop on the WEEE and RoHS Directives, 24 October 2003

Following concerns raised by business about the potential negative effects of financing rules on historic waste from non-household sources, the European Commission has proposed a draft Directive to amend Article 9 of the WEEE Directive.  This has been welcomed by both the European Council and Parliament and is expected to be finally agreed shortly.  The text of the proposal is below.

• Proposal for amendment of Article 9 of the WEEE Directive.

6. Summary of the WEEE and RoHS Directives

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was agreed on 13 February 2003, along with the related Directive on Restrictions of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).  

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive  (WEEE) 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 RoHS Directive will ban the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants from 1 July 2006.  There are a number of exempted applications for these substances. RoHS takes its scope broadly from the WEEE Directive.  Manufacturers will need to ensure that their products - and their components - comply in order to stay on the Single Market.  If they do not, they will need to redesign products.

DTI Key Contacts

For further information, please contact: 

WEEE - Chris Tollady 020 7215-0972

RoHS - Steve Andrews 020 7215-1670

7. Timetable

8. Other documents

The DTI supported a project by GTS and ICER to look at possible methods of removing metal oxides from waste cathode ray tubes (CRTs). The project also estimates arisings of this type of waste and looks at current techniques for recycling CRTs in the UK. The project report can be downloaded by using the link below.

• New approach to cathode ray tube recycling 

The texts of the WEEE and RoHS Directives are also available here.

• WEEE Directive

• RoHS Directive

9. Useful links

DEFRA

The Environment Agency for England and Wales

The European Commission

Cabinet Office Better Regulation TaskForce

Orgalime

(Site updated 25 November 2003)

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