EEB

Press Release

EU paves the way for better e-waste management

23rd June 2010

EEB is pleased that MEPs have broadly supported a move to improve the management of Europe’s ever-increasing build up of electronic waste. Members of the Environment Committee yesterday voted on proposed amendments to the Directive on the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

Electronic waste is the largest growing type of waste in Europe with only 19% of being recycled, leading to questionable treatment of the remaining waste and illegal exports outside of Europe.

EEB is delighted to see that the Environment Committee of the EU Parliament demonstrated their ambition to improve this legislation, having long called for increasing the collection target and for improving the registration and reporting by all actors along the waste chain to tackle this problem.

With this vote, MEPs have drastically increased the collection of e-waste, establishing the minimum collection rate to 85% of WEEE generated in a member state. MEPs have also identified the need to ensure financial resources for municipalities and those required by law to collect e-waste if such an ambition is to be met.

A large amount of e-waste is currently exported to developing countries globally, where Europe’s waste is often dealt with in conditions dangerous to both human health and the environment. MEPs voted to make the export rules much more stringent in order to control the flow of waste leaving Europe.

E-waste contains some hazardous substances and scarce resources and EEB has been pushing for incentives to increase the ecological design of a product for the first stages, as Stephane Arditi, EEB Product and Waste policy officer, explains: “Yesterday’s vote is an acknowledgement that waste policies can no longer be considered from a mere ‘end of pipe’ perspective, but they should instead mobilise instruments to consider impacts on natural resources, as well as recycling opportunities, right from the design stage of appliances. This vote paves the way to more consistency between natural resource, ecological product and waste policy”.

Contact:

Stephane Arditi, EEB Product and Waste policy officer, Stephane.arditi@eeb.org, +32 (0) 488 267 103

Simon Nazer, EEB Press Officer, press@eeb.org, +32 (0) 496 438 469

Editors notes:

Briefing paper on key amendments