The playing field in Europe regarding the treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is not level and currently it is estimated that more than half of the WEEE generated in the EU is not treated in accordance with the requirements of Directive 2012/19/EU. Bearing in mind the European Commission’s ambition to move towards a circular economy, Dr Philip Morton, CEO of REPIC, the UK’s largest producer compliance scheme, explains the key role of mandatory treatment standards in supporting this transition where WEEE is concerned.
WEEE is the fastest growing waste stream worldwide. This waste, however, is also extremely difficult to handle because it contains a varied mix of plastics, metals and potentially hazardous compositions. But it also represents a source of valuable and increasingly scarce strategic materials. If the quality level for the recycling of WEEE is addressed this clearly will have a positive impact on the EU’s ambitious goals of establishing a circular economy.
Salzburg accord
How this is tackled was high on the agenda at the recent International Electronics Recycling Congress in Salzburg, Austria, which saw more than 500 delegates from the recycling industry, government agencies and academic bodies gather to discuss this and other challenges faced as increasingly we move to a more circular economy.
All agreed on the need to reassess current technologies and European regulations and the event provided an opportunity for the WEEE Forum and European Electronics Recyclers Association (EERA) to launch a petition to introduce mandatory treatment standards (EN 50625) for WEEE across Europe.
At present, its been reported that more than half of the WEEE generated in the EU is not treated in accordance with requirements set out in the Directive. This results in a widely varying quality of recycling of WEEE within Europe. There is substantial variance in raw materials recycling, monitoring and control procedures, depollution performance and more.
What the petition is calling for is the EU to make WEEE recycling standards mandatory for all WEEE treatment facilities in the EU, and that treatment of WEEE outside the EU should take place in conditions that are equivalent to those applicable in the EU. Not only will this significantly increase the quality of recycling, it will also prevent the loss of valuable resources that need to reenter the system to fulfil the circular economy approach.
It came as no surprise that the recent European Union-funded project, Countering WEEE Illegal Trade (CWIT) revealed that 65% of discarded WEEE is either exported or recycled under non-compliant conditions in Europe, is scavenged for valuable parts or thrown in waste bins – so there’s plenty of work to be done.
What is encouraging is that some member states, including Ireland, France and the Netherlands, already have legislation in place that legally requires WEEE treatment facilities to adhere to the standards set by EN 50625, but most don’t. Some other member states are considering this too. The key is for all Member States to adopt them.
The trouble is that when only some member states decide to make WEEE recycling standards mandatory quantities of WEEE may ‘leak’ to other regions or states where the compliance is not legally required. This mismatch of EU standards has resulted in some below-par EU-wide performance when it comes to WEEE recycling.
In other words, if compliance with the EN 50625 treatment standards remains voluntary, or mandatory
in only a handful of member states, a significant part of the WEEE stream will continue to be treated sub-optimally within and outside Europe.
The petition says: “In order to level the WEEE playing field in Europe, the EN 50625 treatment series of standards should be made mandatory for all treatment facilities of WEEE in the EU. Treatment of WEEE outside the EU should take place in conditions that are equivalent to those applicable in the EU. This will significantly increase the quality level in the recycling of WEEE and will have a positive impact on the EU’s ambitious goals of [realising] a circular economy.”
Surely this is a common goal that we should collectively be working to achieve as we move towards a circular economy.
Further information on the petition can be found at www.wee-forum.org.
