Environment
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2002/96/EC - Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) is the European Community directive 2002/96/EC on waste of electrical and electronic equipment. The directive became European Law in February 2003, setting collection, recycling and recovery targets for all types of electrical goods. The directive makes the manufacturers responsible for waste disposal of electrical and electronic equipment. The producing and manufacturing industry should establish an infrastructure for collecting WEEE. Consumers should be able to return electrical and electronic equipment from private households free of charge. The EU member states were obliged by the directive to implement its provisions into national law until August 2004. As the national transposition of the WEEE directive varies between the member states, a patchwork of requirements and compliance solutions is emerging across Europe.
The WEEE directive can also be applied to RFID systems and antennas. Tags and labels are under the requirements of the device they are attached to. Until now, there is no regulation found which specifies the waste management of transponders. A future clarification would be helpful. If the tag is put on the equipment, the producer of the equipment, whatever the subject may be is responsible for recycling.
- 2002/95/EC - Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
The EC directive 2002/95/EC Reduction of Hazardous Substances was also established in February 2003. This directive forces manufacturers to prohibit different kinds of materials like lead, mercury and cadmium. The directive was changed in 2005, because it was not possible to exclude these materials from all production processes. Since 2005, the usage of such material for a product is limited to a maximum. This regulation is mandatory forRFID Readers and Tags as well. RFIDs meet the definition of electrical and electronic equipment provided for in the WEEE and RoHS Directives and thus can be considered to come under Category 3 “IT and telecommunication equipment”. RFIDs are covered by the RoHS Directive.
- 94/62/EC - Packaging Waste Directive
Moreover, Directive 94/62/EC covers all packaging placed on the market and all packaging waste. In this connection it is of no deeper importance whether packaging is just used or released at the industrial or commercial sector, or at offices, shops, services, households etc. It is mandatory for all kinds of packaging materials. The criteria for clarifying the definition of the term “packaging” are stated in directive 2004/12/EC. The Packaging Waste Directive requires member states to take measures, such as national programmes, to prevent unnecessary packaging waste, and encourages them to develop reuse systems for packaging.
Such systems for returning and recycling packaging should fulfil the following targets:
-by no later than 30 June 2001, between 50 and 65 % of the weight of packaging waste was sought to be recovered or incinerated at waste incineration plants with energy recovery;
-by no later than 31 December 2008, at least 60 % of the weight of packaging waste is sought to be recovered or incinerated at waste incineration plants with energy recovery;
-by no later than 30 June 2001, between 25 and 45 % of the weight of the total of packaging materials contained in packaging waste were sought to be recycled (with a minimum of 15 % by weight for each packaging material);
-by no later than 31 December 2008, between 55 and 80 % by weight of packaging waste to be recycled;
-by no later than 31 December 2008 the following targets for materials contained in packaging waste must be attained: 60 % by weight for glass, paper and board; 50 % by weight for metals; 22.5 % by weight for plastics and 15 % by weight for wood.
