The European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment legislation, revised on January 19, will require European retailers to recycle electrical and electronic goods. Any electrical retailer with a store larger than 400 square meters (4305 square feet) will have to accept small items for recycling, such as mp3 players and mobile phones.
Retailers will have to accept the items even if the customer does not purchase a replacement device. However, large items, such as washing machines, will have to be recycled by the manufacturer. All 27 EU states are expected to formally approve the measure.
Current laws state that each European Union state must collect 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of electronics waste per citizen. Under the revamped legislation, states must collect 45 metric tons of waste for every 100 tons of electronic goods put up for sale. The amount “put up for sale” is the quantity of electronic goods released to retailers within the past three years.
Most EU states must be compliant by 2016, although newer EU states have been given until 2021 to reach the new standard. The 10 states given an extension were 10 former Communist bloc states that only recently joined the EU.
The requirements will grow even more stringent in 2019. At that time, EU states will have to collect either 65 metric tons of all electronics put up for sale in the last three years or 85 percent of all discarded electronics. According to EU officials, only 1/3 of current e-waste is treated appropriately.
In addition, the revamped legislation will require EU exporters to provide appropriate documentation when shipping electronics goods to other countries for repair or reuse. Currently, some entities in the EU illegally ship these broken electronics to developing countries, exposing workers to serious health hazards.
The changes were met with mixed reactions. Orgalime, a European electronics industry association, claims that the new standards have far exceeded the original changes intended by the legislation. Orgalime also expressed concern about the ability of electronics companies to remain competitive under the extensive new demands. Environmental groups, on the other hand, expressed disappointment that the timetable had been extended out to 2019. They fear that the long timetable leaves the laws vulnerable to future revision.
Member states will have 18 months to turn the legislation into national law after the agreement is officially approved. Much of the implementation requirements are left to member states, and some members of Parliament, like Karl Heinz-Florenz of Germany, expressed frustration that member states had not centralized recycling rules. As a compromise, registration requirements at the state level have been simplified.
Just how much these changes will cost retailers is still unclear. However, electronics waste is a growing problem in Europe. By 2020, electrical waste in landfills is expected to increase to 12 metric tons annually.
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO registration, click here.
Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO. Follow us on Twitter.
Jacqueline Lee is a TMCnet contributor who produces web content, blogs and articles for numerous websites including wikiHow.com. Her background is in business and education.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
