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

20.7 Complementary Policies
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� Directive 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
must also be considered as a policy driver alongside producer responsibility for
WEEE in the EU; the RoHS Directive aims to minimise the use of certain
hazardous materials in newly-produced EEE and to minimise the release of
hazardous substances into the environment by controlling the disposal route
of older equipment at the end of its life. Producers must provide evidence that
the concentrations of hazardous materials are below defined levels. The six
key restricted substances are lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium,
polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl. Similar regulations to
the RoHS exist in those non-EU countries that have their own WEEE
regulations e.g. Japan, South Korea;
� The Energy-Using Products (EuP) Directive 2005/32/EC, which came into force
in August 2007 and which provides a framework for the setting of eco-design
requirements for any group of products which use energy (including EEE). This
directive seeks to make energy efficiency improvements rather than having a
direct focus on waste. However, ensuing product designs which make energy
efficiency improvements may also extend the product’s life, thus contributing
indirectly to the prevention of WEEE;
� The EU Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators
Directive (2006/66/EC), which aims to improve the environmental
performance of batteries and of the activities of all economic operators
involved in the life cycle of batteries. A producer of EEE is also regarded as a
battery producer if the appliance placed on the market has a battery inside.
The Batteries Directive limits the use of mercury and cadmium in all batteries
by weight, prohibits the disposal by landfill or incineration of waste industrial
and automotive batteries, and sets recycling rates to ensure that a high
proportion of the weight of waste batteries is recycled (65% of lead acid
batteries, 75% of nickel-cadmium batteries and 50% of other waste batteries).
Batteries that are incorporated in WEEE will be collected on the basis of the
WEEE Directive and then removed from the electronic equipment, counting
towards the collection targets of the Batteries Directive;
� Waste Shipments Regulations: in the EU, for example, the export of WEEE is
only permitted for recovery and is controlled by EU Shipment Regulations. In
addition, the Basel Convention on the Control for the Transboundary
Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, in force since 1992, is
the only global environment agreement on waste, comprising more than 165
national governments. This global agreement regulates trade in hazardous
wastes, including WEEE, looking to ensure its safe disposal and that the
generation of such wastes is minimised.
20.8 Effect of the Policy on Pricing of Resources / Services
The number of collective schemes in operation within a country and the resultant
competition influences the overall cost of implementing the WEEE policy. A report by
Veit compared the current waste management system charges in twelve MS for a
washing machine (38 kg), food processor (3.5 kg), laptop (1.5 kg), DVD player (1.8
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