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Have you come across the acronym WEEE before? It’s particularly important for anybody who works in the production or disposal of electronic devices, but what does it stand for, and what does it mean?
In this blog post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the WEEE directive, including its subcategories and what its goals are under European law.
What Is WEEE?
WEEE, also known as e-waste, stands for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.
While the first regulations came into place in 2002, the WEEE directive as we know it began in 2012, with several updates since. It’s an important part of the recycling industry, and ensures, by law, the proper disposal of potentially harmful electrical products.
The WEEE directive requires that all electronic waste is collected separately from general waste to ensure it gets disposed of safely and properly. Every year, a target is set for the overall amount of e-waste that is collected, recovered, and recycled.
Why Was The WEEE Directive Found?
In the EU alone, 4.9 million tonnes of e-waste is collected annually, on average, with 13.5 million tonnes of new electronic equipment going on the market. As a result, the amount of WEEE is rapidly increasing every year.
Many electrical devices contain materials that are potentially very dangerous to human health and the environment. A lot of their raw materials are often expensive and rare, too, so it’s vital that they’re disposed of safely so as not to cause unnecessary harm or waste. By properly managing the recycling process of such items, these raw materials can be reused.
The WEEE directive goes hand-in-hand with RoHS (the Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive), which regulates how much of each hazardous material is legally allowed to be used in electrical products.
What Do The WEEE Regulations Include?
The purpose of WEEE is to carefully handle the recycling of electrical items composed of many different materials – including some harmful ones, like lead and mercury.
The original list of electrical items that fall under WEEE is broken up into the following:
- Automatic dispensers
- Consumer equipment
- Electrical tools
- Electrical toys and consoles
- IT and telecoms equipment
- Large household appliances
- Lighting
- Medical devices
- Monitoring and control equipment (smoke detectors, thermostats, etc.)
- Small household appliances
- Solar panels
In 2012, however, this exact breakdown changed. Although all of the same items are still considered e-waste, the official categories for WEEE are now the following six:
- Lamps/lighting
- Large equipment
- Screens, monitors, and equipment containing screens
- Small equipment
- Small IT and telecoms equipment
- Temperature exchange equipment
Exactly how WEEE is disposed of can vary. Some facilities use shredding and some disassemble the items. It largely depends on the type of WEEE being disposed of and the technology of the facility.
How Can I Comply With WEEE?
You can make sure that you comply with WEEE regulations by correctly and separately disposing of any equipment that falls under one of the categories listed above. Anything that comes under the law of the WEEE directive will have a familiar label featuring a pictogram of a black recycling bin with a large cross over it.
As a business, you need to ensure that any items you produce complies with WEEE by being properly labelled. You can do this by using our easily identifiable WEEE labels.
Start Your Compliance with Label Source
Ensure your business is adhering to the RoHS and WEEE directives by using the correct labels on any necessary products that your company creates.
Start browsing our selection of labels and safety signage today, or get in touch to find out more.
