The Practical Implementation of the WEEE Directive 2012
2018-12-15
All member states have now gained practical experience with the their national implementation of the WEEE Directive 2012 (WEEE = Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment). The picture that emerges is not exactly rosy.
- The conversion to the new 6 collection categories has only caused conversion costs, but no significant environmental impact: in Germany alone, the WEEE register had to transfer approximately 39,000 registrations into the new categories.
- The “Open Scope” causes new and problematic problems of demarcation. What about clothes and pieces of furniture that contain electrical components? And anyway: how is the edge length practicable?
- The extended collection obligation of the trade did not significantly increase the collection quantities.
- Many Member States are unlikely to be able to meet the collection obligation of 65% of the average input over the past 3 years – for understandable reasons.
- The new arrangements for transboundary shipments of used electrical and electronic products are likely to lead to companies with European centers for the repair and reprocessing of used equipment having to raise their prices in such a way that the demand for repair and remanufactured equipment could decrease significantly. Fortunately, enforcement shortfalls are currently preventing the worst.