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The WEEE directive at a glance
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An introduction to the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and the related Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which restricts the use of certain toxic substances, such as lead, used in printed circuit boards.
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Objectives of the WEEE Directive
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to increase reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery, leading to a reduction in the amount of waste going to landfill or incineration |
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to improve the environmental performance of all operators involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment |
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to set criteria for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE |
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making producers responsible for financing most of these activities - private householders are to be able to return WEEE without charge |
The WEEE Directive requires producers to take a whole-life responsibility for their products and to meet given targets. They will also need to provide data to demonstrate compliance.
Who will it affect?
The WEEE Directive covers all electrical and electronic equipment with voltages up to 1,000 AC and 1,500 DC and will affect virtually all producers and manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment, regardless of company size.
Producers are defined as:
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manufacturers who sell their own brand |
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resellers under their own brand |
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importers or exporters into an EU member state |
Targets for the 10 categories
Producers in the UK are responsible for financing
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collection of their products at end-of-life and meeting targets for reuse,
recycling and recovery under 10 broad categories.
Note: in the following categories, all percentages refer to an average weight per appliance and thse will be updated to reflect the new WEEE directive once the UK regulations are published.. |
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Category 1: large household appliances
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 80% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 75% |
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Category 2: small household appliance
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 70% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 50% |
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Category 3: IT and telecommunications equipment
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 75% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 65% |
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Category 4: consumer equipment
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 75% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 65% |
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Category 5: lighting equipment
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 70% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 50% |
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Category 6: electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 70% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 50% |
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Category 7: toys, leisure and sports equipment
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 70% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 50% |
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Category 8: medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products)
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 70% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 50% |
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Category 9: monitoring and controlling instruments
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 70% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 50% |
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Category 10: automatic dispensers
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the rate of recovery shall be increased to a minimum of 80% |
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component, material and substance reuse and recycling shall be increased to a minimum of 75% |
(European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, 2003)
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RoHS Directive
The RoHS Directive sets out to:
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restrict the use of hazardous substances |
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contribute to the environmentally sound recovery and disposal of WEEE |
The directive covers a wide variety of equipment across 10 categories, including large and small household appliances, consumer goods such as TVs and hi fi equipment, as well as toys, telecommunications, computers, tools and automatic dispensers. Medical appliances and monitoring and control equipment are exempted.
As of 1 July 2006, the RoHS Directive will ban the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of:
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lead |
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cadmium |
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mercury |
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hexavalent chromium |
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polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) flame retardants |
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polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants |
RoHS takes its scope broadly from the WEEE Directive. The list of restricted substances is likely to be extended to cover more brominated flame retardants, which are currently under review by the EU.
It is the producers’ responsibility to ensure their products are compliant. Non–compliance could result in legal proceedings and fines.
 Download The WEEE Directive Pdf
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