E-Waste Management

In EU and Germany

environment responsibility @ work

8th August 2007
TESCO Hindustan Service Center

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Henning Schreiber (VDI)

CIM-Expert for Waste Management and Recycling

1
Content

1. E-waste and...?
2. Europe (WEEE & RoHS)
3. Germany (ElektroG)
4. Global Trends
5. Producer Responsibility

2
 E-waste and Natural Resources

• What is waste?
• Is e-waste really waste?
• Why normally no e-waste on wild dump
sites?
• Is Cu from e-waste really waste?
• Is gold waste?
• So, is e-waste a resource?
• Is e-waste hazardous?

3
 E-waste and Responsibilities (I)

• Who is responsible?
– Manufacturers (Dell, Intel, HP, …) – EPR Extended
Producers Responsibility
– Companies (IT: Microsoft, Infosys, Wipro, …)
– Users (Corporates, Private households, …)
– Others?

• Who should supervise, regulate?

– Government
– Associations, individual companies, agencies, NGOs?

4
 E-waste and Responsibilities (II)

• The times are over, when the responsibility of a

company for their products ended at the gate of the
factory
• Once the product leaves the gate of the
manufacturer his responsibility, liability and
accountability does not end, it just starts
– See recent legislation of EU: WEEE, ROHS, used cars, …

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 Laws on Electronic Waste
in Europe & Germany
RoHS (2003/2006)
Europe

WEEE (2003) Directive on the Restriction

Waste Electrical and of the Use of Certain Hazardous
Electronical Equipment Substances in Electrical and
Electronic Equipment

ElektroG (Aug. 2005 / Mar. 2006)

Germany

Realisation through
•Producer and
•Public Waste Management Authorities
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 Background of European Directives
on WEEE and RoHS
2 Directives of the European Parliament and of the Council aiming
at tackling the increasing electrical and electronic equipment
waste

• WEEE
Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
promotes the reuse and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment.
Producers will be responsible for taking back, treating and/or recycling of
electrical and electronic equipment.

• RoHS
Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous
Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment
requires limitation of various heavy metals and brominated flame retardants in
electrical and electronic equipment.

• Both directives became European law in February 2003

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 Content of WEEE (examples)

• Basic principles
1) Reuse
2) Recycling
3) Recovery
• Financing of the WEEE management costs
• Producer Responsibility
• Classification of E-Waste in 10 categories
• Rates of
• Recovery and
• Reuse & recycling
• Information for the user As weight-related
• Technical Requirements for storagepercentaged
& treatment amounts

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 E-Waste Categories of WEEE
1. Large household appliances
2. Small household appliances
3. IT and telecommunications equipment
4. Consumer equipment
5. Lighting equipment
6. Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-
scale stationary industrial tools)
7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
8. Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and
infected products)
9. Monitoring and control instruments
10. Automatic dispensers

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 WEEE Directive – selected Articles (I)
Art. 7 – Recovery
– for the recovery of separately collected WEEE the EU-Member
States have to set up systems
– priority shall be given to the reuse of whole appliances
– by 31 Dec. 2006 the producer had to meet the following targets:

Categories of Annex IA
Increase to a minimum of x% by an average 1+10 3+4 2,5,6,7+9
weight per appliance
Rate of recovery 80% 75% 70%
Component, material and substance reuse and 75% 65% 50%
recycling
For gas discharge lamps, the rate of component, material and substance reuse
and recycling shall reach a minimum of 80 % by weight of the lamps

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 WEEE Directive – Articles (II)
Art. 8 – Financing
– by 13 Aug. 2005, producers had to provide at least for the
financing of the set up system (collection, treatment, recovery and
environmentally sound disposal of WEEE from private households deposited at
collection facilities)

– The responsibility for the financing of the costs of the

management of WEEE depends on the date the products were
put on the market:
• later than 13 Aug. 2005
– each producer shall be responsible for financing the
operations relating to the waste from his own products.

• before 13 Aug. 2005 (historical waste)

– shall be provided by one or more systems to which all
producers, existing on the market when the respective costs
occur, contribute proportionately, e.g. in proportion to their
respective share of the market by type of equipment
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 WEEE Directive –Articles (III)
Art. 10 – Information for the User
EU-Member States shall ensure that users of electrical and
electronic equipment in private households are given the necessary
information about:
(a) requirement to collect WEEE separately (no disposal as unsorted
municipal waste)
(b) the return and collection systems available to them
(c) their role in contributing to reuse, recycling and other forms of
recovery of WEEE
(d) the potential effects on the environment and human health as a
result of the presence of hazardous substances in electrical and
electronic equipment
(e) the meaning of the symbol shown in Annex IV.

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 WEEE Directive –ANNEX II
Selective treatment for materials and components of waste electrical
and electronic equipment

1. Substances, preparations and components that have to be removed

(minimum standard):
• polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) containing capacitors,
• mercury containing components, such as switches or backlighting lamps,
• batteries,
• printed circuit boards of mobile phones generally, and of other devices if the
surface of the printed circuit board is greater than 10 square centimetres,
• toner cartridges, liquid and pasty, as well as colour toner,
• plastic containing brominated flame retardants,
• asbestos waste and components which contain asbestos,
• cathode ray tubes,

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 WEEE Directive – ANNEX III
Technical requirements
1. Sites for storage (including temporary storage) of WEEE prior to their treatment:
 impermeable surfaces for appropriate areas with the provision of spillage
collection facilities and, where appropriate, decanters and cleanser-degreasers,
 weatherproof covering for appropriate areas.

2. Sites for treatment of WEEE:

 balances to measure the weight of the treated waste,
 impermeable surfaces and waterproof covering for appropriate areas with the
provision of spillage collection facilities and, where appropriate, decanters and
cleanser-degreasers,
 appropriate storage for disassembled spare parts,
 appropriate containers for storage of batteries, PCBs/PCTs containing capacitors
and other hazardous waste such as radioactive waste,
 equipment for the treatment of water in compliance with health
and environmental regulations.

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Europe: RoHS Directive

Directive on the Restriction

of the Use of Certain
Hazardous Substances in
Electrical and Electronic
Equipment

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 RoHS Directive – What is Covered? (I)

In the EU, from July 2006, the following are banned:

• Lead (PCB solders);
• Mercury (Switches, Relays and Batteries);
• Cadmium (Switches and Relays);
• Hexavalent Chromium (Metal Treatment);
• Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs – no longer made in EU)
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs – soon to be phased out in EU)

• Maximum concentration values, MCV: 0,1 % (1000 ppm) per homogenous material
• Cadmium: 0,01 % (100 ppm)

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RoHS Directive – What is Covered? (II)

• Plastics: variety of additives used to enhance physical

properties (fire/heat retardation, color, hardness, durability).
• These additives, developed years ago, contain elements now
deemed harmful to the environment (Pb, Sb, Cd...)
• Other additives simply prevent recycling, or are
detrimental to the recycling process (Br, Cl...)
• RoHS and WEEE directives require recyclers and
manufacturers to provide verifiable evidence that reclaimed
plastic materials and newly manufactured plastic products do
not contain restricted substances

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Germany: The ElektroG

18
 Laws on Electronic Waste
in Europe & Germany
RoHS (2003/2006)
Europe

WEEE (2003) Directive on the Restriction

Waste Electrical and of the Use of Certain Hazardous
Electronical Equipment Substances in Electrical and
Electronic Equipment

ElektroG (Aug. 2005 / Mar. 2006)

Germany

Realisation through
•Producer and
•Public Waste Management Authorities
19
Germany: 1.8 Mio. t E-Waste/a
Products Prop., [%]
Ho Household appliance (large) 34.8
us
Household appliance (small) 9.0
e
ho TV- and Video 9.2
l d Entertainment electronics 8.9
Lamps 2.5
Tools 2.6
∑ Consumption Products 67.0
Ind Lamps 11.3
ust
Digital data processing 7.6
ry
measurement and control elements 5.8
Switching mechanisms, control system 6.7
Other 1.6
∑ Industry Products 33.0
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 Germany: The ElektroG
Objectives and Contents of the Act
Governing the Sale, Return and Environmentally Sound Disposal
Of Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act – ElektroG)

1. Objectives of the Act

This Act implements
• Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and
• Directive 2002/95/EC on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in
electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).

The goal is, that at least 4 kg e-waste per inhabitant and year is to be collected
from private households.

The obligation to take on responsibility for treatment, recovery or disposal of WEEE,

aims to compel producers to incorporate the entire life cycle of their products
into their calculations.

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 German Implementation
ElektroG

EPR - Extendend
Producer Responsibility Separated
Product
Responsibility
Municipality

10 Categories Combined into 5 Collection Groups

(waste groups that can be
treated in same recycling facilities)

Rate: Total Collection Capacity is 4 kg/cap*a

(max. collected was 15 kg/cap*a
depending on regularies of collection system)
 German Collection System

• Municipal waste management

authorities can establish a collection- or
a delivery system
• Collection from households by authorities
or assigned third party or
• Delivery to collection places, large
equipment still be collected as bulky waste

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 5 German Collection Groups

(1) Household appliance (large)

(2) Freezer, fridgerators
(3) IT, TV- and Video
(4) Lamps
(5) Household appliance (small)

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 Recycling Facilities in Germany
100%

High-tech Facilities
•High technical standard
•High investment
•Highd input required!!!  > 15,000 t/a

Classic Facilities
•Low-tech standard - manuell recycling
•Social companies (low salaries)
•High material recovery

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 Germany: The ElektroG
Organisation

The responsibilities were transferred by means of designation from the

(federal) “Competent Authority” to the Clearing House of the
producers (EAR). Here all the functions that are important for
implementing the Act are concentrated:
•registering producers,
•reviewing the disposal guarantee,
•collecting all necessary data,
•equipping local authorities with collection containers,
•calculating collection volumes for producers and
•instructing collection
This allows the producers themselves to organise the fulfilment of their
disposal responsibility as efficiently as possible. The enforcement
authorities of the Bundesländer (federal states) are spared the
responsibility of monitoring and controlling to a large degree.

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 Global Trends
Computer Recycling
• Mandatory producer take back and recycling legislation
enacted or proposed:
– EU (“WEEE” Directive)
– Switzerland
– Japan
– Taiwan
– Australia
– Canada
– China
• General political trend in support of “producer
responsibility”

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Mandatory Take Back 2008

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 Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment

The EU Directive on WEEE places an obligation on

manufacturers to take back end-of-life or waste
products free of charge in an effort to reduce the
amount of such waste going into landfill. At the same
time, WEEE strongly encourages design for re-use as
an important element to prevent waste.
Producer Responsibility

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Producer Responsibilty

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 What is Producer Responsibility?
Defined
• Shift costs of waste management from governments or
taxpayers to manufacturers/consumers
• Require manufacturers to assume financial and/or physical
responsibility for the collection and recycling of end-of-life
products

Perceived Benefits
• Manufacturers will improve product design (fewer “toxics,”
ease of disassembly) to reduce recycling costs
• Promote sustainable development and resource conservation

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Producer Responsiblity in practice
- producers view – (I)

design

recycling manufacturing

how to close the gap ?

use / service market

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 Producer Responsiblity in practice
- producers view – (II)
let the product managers feel the (positive / negative)

consequences
design for
recycling

recycling
Use of recycled
technology
materials
development
cost advantage

use / service market

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 Questions?

Please Contact:

henning.schreiber@ewasteindia.com
www.ewasteindia.in
www.gtz.de

8th August 2007 34

Centrum for International
Migration und Development (CIM)

Thank you for your attention.

8th August 2007 35