Mandatory collection targets equal to 65 per cent of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market by EU member states over the past two years is the latest proposal under the WEEE and RoHS directives.
The Commission is getting impatient because only one third of electrical and electronic waste is reported as being appropriately treatedand the other two thirds are going to landfills or potentially sub-standard treatment sites in or outside the European Union.
Illegal trade of electrical and electronic waste to non-EU countries continues to be widespread says the Commission.
The proposed revised RoHS directive will cover medical devices and monitoring and control instruments. A list of priority substances posing particular environmental concerns when used in electrical and electronic equipment will be assessed in line with the EU's REACH directive with a view to a possible ban in the future. These are HBCDD, DEHP, BBP and DBP.
The EU also plans to introduce the CE marking system to demonstrate compliance.
At electronica Premier Farnell announced an initiative to cooperate with governments in India and China where illegal disposal sites proliferate with associated dangers to the health of the workers and the local environment.
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