_By Jake Thomas, Resource Recycling_
The European Union's re-worked directive on waste electrical and electronics equipment (WEEE) went into effect this week and will require dramatically increase member states' collection targets.
The new directive sets a 45 percent collection target of electronic equipment sold on the market in each member state. Member states will be required to meet this target by 2016. By 2019, member states will be required to collect either 65 percent of covered items sold on the market or 85 percent of waste generated from these items.
The new directive will also require exporters of WEEE to test whether the equipment works or not and provide documents on the nature of shipments that could be illegal.
WEEE Recast updates the EU's original WEEE Directive, which was enacted in 2003 and set a collection target of 4 kilograms per person per year, to better address the growing amount of unwanted electronics and appliances in member states. The WEEE Recast revision was four years in the making, and negotiations [were finalized][1] earlier this year.
By 2014, member states will need to have laws in place that align with the directive and its targets. Some member states lacking the infrastructure will be given leeway on the collection targets for a limited time.
Currently, only one-third of WEEE in the EU is collected and documented. By 2012, officials expect the volume of WEEE to increase to 12 million tons by 2020. If member states successfully meet their targets, officials expect 10 million tons of that to be collected, amounting to about 20 kilograms per capita.
"In these times of economic turmoil and rising prices for raw materials, resource efficiency is where environmental benefits and innovative growth opportunities come together," said EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik in a prepared statement. "We now need to open new collection channels for electronic waste and improve the effectiveness of existing ones. I encourage the Member States to meet these new targets before the formal deadline."
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[1]: http://resource-recycling.com/node/2387
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