European Union Electronic Equipment WEEE

Directive 2002/96/EC ofthe European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) (2003) Official Journal ofthe European Union, L37 13/02/2003, 24-39. 

The European Union s directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) requires companies selling electronic products in Europe to set up end-of-life collection and recycling systems for these products by August 2005. 

End-of-use requirements have evolved and the healthcare industry is not an exception to the newer standards. These include Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 1002/96/EC that is in place in the European Union. In this standard, OEMs are required to be responsible for collection and treatment of materials at end of life. 

EU-Directive 2002/96/EC Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and RoHS, Directive on Restrictions of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment" OfficialJotimal of the European Union, 46[L37], 24-38 (2003). 

Environmental laws regulating the disposal of hazardous chemical waste may also be informed by the LCA concept. The Waste in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive in the European Union is closely linked to the RoHS directive restricting the use of specific chemicals in electrical products. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in the United States complanents other environmental laws that regulate toxic chemicals by regulating the disposal of the hazardous chemical by-products of industrial processes. A significant difference between RCRA and WEEE is that WEEE is linked to pollution prevention laws such as RoHS, while RCRA is more of an end of the pipe law. 

The use of chromate conversion coatings has led to progressively greater restrictions imposed by national and international legislation (European Union directive 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and European Union directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)) relating to concerns over health, safety and environmental protection regarding the use of these treatments. However, the aeronautical industry is a major chromates consumer until a viable alternative can be found. 

The European Union has been quite visible in recent years with such directives. RoHS (Restriction in the use of Hazardous Substances), WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment), and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical substances). RoHS places restrictions on use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and some polybrominated diphenylethers. WEEE targets responsible recycling of electronic equipment. REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use... 

Also in February 2003, the European Union enacted the Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (known as the WEEE Directive), calling for manufacturers to take end-of-life responsibility for their products (European Parliament, 2003b). Until August 15, 2005, this directive applies the principle of collective producer responsibility to wastes generated by electrical and electronic products. This principle allows companies to pool monies used for managing their wastes. However, for wastes generated by products manufactured after that date, it applies the principle of individual manufacturer responsibility, with the result... 

Abstract This chapter introduces the European Union (EU) and discusses some of its directives and regulations. Today the EU has some of the most progressive environmental policies in the world that extend to all areas of environmental protection. Some of these areas are air pollution control, water protection, waste management, and the control of chemicals. This chapter includes information about the End of Life Vehicles Directive (ELV), the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE). The EU regulation called Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is described too. 

Raising public awareness of solutions and problems associated with science and technology also becomes more pressing as engineering artefacts pervade more and more into our daily lives. A fine example of this linked into the recent European Union directive on managing waste associated with electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE). The legal aspects of this directive are profound making manufacturers responsible for the eventual disposal of... 

Legislative Issues. The European Union s RoHS and WEEE directives (the WEEE directive addresses waste electronic equipment and recycling requirements) affect not only the lead used in printed circuits, but the flame retardants used in the resin system as well.The RoHS directive restricts the use of specific types of brominated flame retardants. The restricted class of compounds consists of polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybromi-nated biphenyl oxides (PBBOs), also called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The generic structure of these compounds is shown in Fig. 7.13. Specific compounds within these classes of flame retardants can vary in their toxicity, and given the dynamic nature of legislative initiatives, it is important to check the current status of these compounds when making decisions on what materials to use. 

There continue to be perception issues over some species of flame retardants, specifically relating to persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity (PBT). Most of these PBT issues are legislatively mandated in the European Union (EU), but these issues are beginning to show up at the state level in the United States and at the national level in Japan and a few other Pacific Rim nations. In addition to PBT issues, there is an increased requirement for recycling plastics used in commercial products, which is most prevalent in the area of information technology equipment (ITE). ITE sale and use in the EU is covered by the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) protocol, which dictates that plastics used for ITE need to be either recycled or incinerated after use. Due to the perception issues behind halogenated flame retardants, some have been deselected for ITE applications in favor of nonhalogenated flame retardants. So with the emphasis... 

---