March 25, 2020 / By mobanmarket
Recycling rates for waste electrical and electronic equipment vary across the member states.MEPs back tougher rules on waste recycling
The European Union should aim to recycle up to three-quarters of some types of e-waste by 2016, according to the European Parliament, which today (3 February) voted overwhelmingly in favour of tighter rules.
Around 9 million tonnes of electrical and electronic goods are discarded in the EU each year, but many countries have a patchy record on recycling. At the top of the class, Sweden manages to recycle 16 kilograms of waste electrical and electronic equipment per person each year, whereas Italy only manages 1 kilogram per head.
Karl-Heinz Florenz, a centre-right German MEP who is drafting the Parliament’s position on the law, said these differences were unacceptable. The problem was that the current waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive, which came into force in 2004, contained too many loopholes, he said.
“This directive is like Swiss cheese with holes. The Parliament has managed to turn this into Swiss cheese with fewer holes,” he told reporters after the vote.
Ambitious targets
The Parliament’s version of the WEEE directive was approved with 580 votes in favour, 37 against and 22 abstentions earlier today (3 February). MEPs voted to broaden the scope of the law by bringing all types of electrical and electronic equipment under the rules, with limited exclusions. Another requirement would be tougher targets on recycling: between 50%-75% of WEEE would have to be recycled by 2016 (the rates vary for different goods). Recycling rates would also have to steadily improve from 2012.
These targets are more ambitious than those proposed by the European Commission and could be challenged by member states, when environment ministers resume discussions on the draft law next month.
Florenz said that he expected ministers to dispute the broader reach of the directive, (the “open scope”) but insisted that the EU had to improve recycling rates, because of the health hazards of leaving WEEE in landfill, as well as the loss of valuable raw materials.
According to his report, one million mobile phones contain 250 kilograms of silver, 24kg of gold and nine tonnes of copper. He predicted that the new rules would improve recycling rates of mobile phones.
One issue of contention between the Council and Parliament is likely to be who should pay for collecting e-waste from doorsteps and delivery to a recycling depot. At present, local authorities pick up the bill for collection. MEPs voted by a narrow margin in favour of a Socialist proposal to split these costs between consumers, manufacturers and retailers.
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) welcomed today’s vote in the Parliament. “The European Parliament has grasped the important potentials of the WEEE legislation to change our e-waste management from pure end pipe solutions to a more integrated approach on resources efficiency,” said the EEB’s Stephane Arditi.
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