EUWEEEElectronic waste recycling issues
Four years after the EU WEEE Directive came into effect, a study by the European Recycling Platform (ERP) found that there are many areas for improvement in the WEEE Directive.
The report also points out that despite the EU's sufficient capacity to process and manage e-waste, a significant amount of e-waste is still being smuggled to countries outside the EU.
Since 2005, Ireland has collected 138,000 tons of e-waste, and in 2008, the collection rate per resident was 9.1 kg, far exceeding the 4 kg limit stipulated by the WEEE Directive. In Ireland, 100% of e-waste goes to Collection and Recycling Organisations and is processed in strict accordance with the directive. However, the situation is not the same in all EU member states.
The European recycling platform found that all e-waste collected within the EU is disposed of in an environmentally friendly and sound manner. It was discovered that only 30% of non-value e-waste is sent to collection and recycling organizations, while 70% of valuable e-waste is sold elsewhere without traceability.
Manufacturers pay 400-500 million euros annually to support the establishment of collection and recycling organizations, which end up only collecting valueless electronic waste. Valuable and easily recyclable electronic waste (such as laptops and washing machines), estimated to be worth 350-600 million euros, is not managed by recycling organizations but by municipalities, retailers, recycling companies, and scrap metal recyclers.
The European Recycling Platform (ERP) recommends that all companies handling e-waste should register, report the weight of all e-waste processed to the national e-waste registration system, and prohibit the shipment of e-waste to countries outside the EU.
The original article can be found at the following link:
http://www.insideireland.ie/index.cfm/section/news/ext/lauren080/category/1104
– Reference source: Inside Ireland
– Translated by Plastic Industry Technology Development Center
For reference only, please refer to the original text.
