International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

20.2 Where Has the Policy Been Applied and Why?
In the EU, the WEEE directive (2002/96/EC) became European law in February 2003,
with all MS except Malta and the UK having transposed at least framework
regulations associated with the directive by 13 th August 2005.
Similar regulations surrounding WEEE are also in place in Norway and Switzerland. In
March 1998, Norway signed an agreement concerning the “Reduction, Collection and
Recovery of Electric and Electronic Appliances” with producers, importers and
retailers all being made responsible for the take back of appliances. In Switzerland, a
collection and recovery system for fridges has been in place since 1991, linked to the
requirement to remove and safely dispose of CFCs from these appliances. The
Ordinance on the Return, the Take-Back and the Disposal of Electrical and Electronic
Appliances subsequently came into force in Switzerland in 1998.
Outside of Europe, comparable policies on responsibility for WEEE have also been
placed on the producer. In April 2001, the Electrical Household Appliance Recycling
Law (EHARL) took effect in Japan with responsibility for refrigerators, washing
machines, air conditioners and televisions shifted from local governments to
producers. 423 Likewise, China also has its own WEEE regulations, with Administration
Order No. 40 - the Management Measures for the Control of Environmental Pollution
by Electronic Waste - setting out disassembly, utilization and disposal criteria for all
types of EEE. In 2007, South Korea also implemented legislation for WEEE entitled
the ‘Act for Resource Recycling of Electrical/Electronic Products and Automobiles’.
Various provinces within the USA and Canada are also currently implementing their
own version of the WEEE Directive, designating a list of categories of EEE that require
waste-diversion programmes. In 2004, California introduced an Electronic Waste
Recycling Fee on all new monitors and televisions to cover the cost of their recycling;
in 2007 Ontario introduced a similar fee for computers and accessories, monitors,
printers, fax machines and televisions, and is also looking to add PDAs, copiers,
flatbed scanners, phones and audio-visual equipment to this list in the near future. 424
Reasons for the implementation of WEEE policies in these countries are discussed in
further detail in Section 20.5, with most driven primarily by legal requirement linked
to environmental benefit. Further details on how WEEE policy has been implemented
in specific countries is presented in Section 20.2.1.
20.2.1 Country-specific Characteristics
Table 20-1 summarises some of the key elements of WEEE policy implementation
within the EU, focusing on the registration of producers, reporting requirements,
responsible parties and financial obligations. Two key reviews used to produce this
423 M. Yamaguchi (2002) Extended Producer Responsibility in Japan – Introduction of “EPR” into
Japanese Waste Policy and some Controversy, Japanese Environmental Management Association for
Industry, ECP Newsletter 19, 1-12.
424 S. Deffree (2008) Ontario Begins WEEE Directive Compliance, Electronic Design, Strategy, News,
[Accessed 8 th October 2008], http://www.edn.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6535361.
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