The Recycler - Three Rs

The impact of WEEE
and WEEE2
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
is one of the largest sustainability problems
facing the planet. In 2006 most EU states
transposed the WEEE Directive and
regulations into law. The regulations
separated WEEE into two categories; first
is WEEE placed on the market before
2005 where the onus is on the owner to
manage its recycling and second, WEEE
produced later, where the producer and/or
distributor has the collection and recycling
responsibility.
The 2014 WEEE 2 directive laid down
certification criteria to demonstrate
that companies are complying with the
regulations. These regulations provide
frameworks for how end-of-use products
are managed at the end of their lifecycle.
They also encourage recycling and reuse.
The scope encompassing everything from
household appliances to IT equipment
to medical devices. Certification is now
mandatory for many electronic devices.
Non-compliance could result in an
EU wide market bar. Pollution of the
environment carries significant fines.
There are numerous takeback schemes
in action today which vary depending
upon whether we are discussing business
or consumer WEEE. Revenue streams
accompanying the WEEE also vary
between B2B and B2C channels and EU
countries. The B2C advice if the product
features the WEEE symbol (see figure 2) is
to check with the local authority, product
manufacturer and distributor to establish
the correct collection channel. In a B2B
scenario, do not expect to take it to the
local household recycling center, they are
likely to turn you away.
F.2 WEEE Symbol
F.3 China Consumers Electronics Replacement Habits
China has the lowest percentage of consumers replacing devices less frequently
but the highest number of consumers who plan to implement
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
US China India Germany
Already replacing
less frequently
Letting go: Reuse in the
ICT sector
Some electronic products have a value that
cannot be measured in financial terms only.
Humans develop emotional attachments
which means we habitually store products
at the end of their life, rather than return or
dispose of them into the WEEE stream.
A study by Alphawise, the proprietary
survey and data arm of Morgan Stanley
Research found that almost 50% of
consumers keep electronic devices that have
stopped working. The study also found
that trade-in and recycling is on the rise in
the consumer market and, that almost 80%
of respondents intend to either repair or,
have repaired their devices in the next two
years. A consequence is that consumers are
extending the lifetime of devices and, 60%
are buying new devices less frequently.
The repair or replace conundrum
varies around the world. Figure 3 shows
consumers in China have been behind in
replacing their devices less frequently than
others but, 90% of Chinese respondents
plan to slow their rate of replacement.
Finally, the Alphawise study revealed
that cash remains the greatest incentive
to encourage consumers to trade-in. It is
estimated that there are billions of Euros of
older, serviceable mobile phones in homes.
Most manufacturers offer a generous
trade-in against new models but take-back
is low. A quick and unscientific study of the
Planning to replace
less frequently
UK
No plans
Source: Alphawise, Morgan Stanley Research
author’s own home embarrassingly found
four, old but usable mobiles.
Getting this waste into reuse by
remanufacturing before recycling is a
problem. Numerous surveys demonstrate
that consumers want to rethink their
behaviour in a more sustainable way. One
survey by Capgemini revealed that 79% of
German buyers are ready to change.
But how? The answer may come from
an unlikely source, Value Added Tax
(VAT). It has been suggested by several
environmental groups including the Green
Alliance, that reducing VAT on repairs
would keep products in use for longer and
create employment. Evidence from several
EU country trials found encouraging
results. In Sweden, when they reduced
repair VAT, they countered the lost revenue
with an increased tax on hazardous waste.
It is possible that the problem is broader
than motivation to reuse or recycle.
Economically, there is a need to separate
the use of resources from economic growth
and, to separate environmental impact from
resource use. But these are social norms
which may take regional, and probably
global events to spark change.
Measuring progress is important and the
EU has a target of collecting 65% of WEEE
placed on the market. A target missed by
the UK and many other member states in
2018. Even defining the collection goals in
measurable tonnage terms has been difficult
to achieve.
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