WEEE Directive
Directive 2002/96/EC
Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment was the first of the European Directives to be published on WEEE on the 27 Jan 2003 and formed part of the producer responsibility principle. It's aim was to ensure that those responsible for placing one of the fastest growing waste streams 'on the market' i.e. the producers, distributers etc become responsible for the recyling and recovery of any electrical or electronic product at the end of its life given that this equipment often contained several hazardous substances such as mercury, cadmium, lead, hexavalent chromium and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and certain ozone deleting substances[1].
The Directive applied to all household and non-household waste electrical and electronic equipment used by consumers with the Directive also requiring that any WEEE was collected seperately and that any producers should finance collection of WEEE from collection facilities and the treatment, recovery and disposal of WEEE[1]. The Directive was transposed into UK legislation as The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 as amended the ("WEEE Regs").
The requirements of the WEEE Directive have since been updated and amended since the publication of this first Directive.
Directive 2012/19/EU
Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is the current version of the Directive which was published on the 13 August 2012. It seeked to tighten up the requirements of the initial directive and contribute more effectively to sustainable production and consumption by the prevention of WEEE and by the re-use, recycling and other forms of recovery of such wastes so as to reduce the disposal of waste and to contribute to the efficient use of resources and the retrieval of valuable secondary raw materials[2]. It also sought to improve the environmental performance of all operators involved in the life cycle of EEE, e.g. producers,distributors and consumers and, in particular, those operators directly involved in the collection and treatment of WEEE.
The provisions of this Directive applies to products and producers irrespective of selling technique, including distance and electronic selling and covers all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) used by consumers and EEE intended for porfessional use[2].