Brussels, 13/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - With two proposals for directives on electrical and electronic waste, adopted on Tuesday in Strasbourg on the initiative of Margot Wallström, the European Commission took a decisive step forward in the development of the legislative arsenal needed for the Community's waste prevention and management strategy.
The first proposal, based on Article 175 of the Treaty (environmental protection), is meant to encourage the collection and separate treatment of electrical and electronic waste (household appliances, television sets, video cassette recorders, electric toys, computer hardware, telecommunications and information technology equipment), by requiring Member States to establish programmes for the separate collection of such waste from households, which will not have to pay for such collection. Producers will be responsible for financing the collection and treatment of this waste (with a five-year grace period for equipment whose release on the market precedes the entry into force of the directive) through upgrading, recycling or safe and responsible elimination. Treatment standards shall establish minimum percentages for the recycling of such waste within a range of 70 and 90%, depending on the category of the product, and these standards will have to be applied in 2006 at the latest.
The second proposal, based on Article 95 (internal market), aims to limit the use of certain dangerous substances in the manufacture of such equipment. The substances principally targeted include heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, etc.) and two types of flame retarders (PBB and PBDE), which will have to be replaced by other materials by 1 January 2008.
Presenting these two initiatives, Margot Wallström said they are balanced proposals that take into account the interests of consumers, industry and the public powers, after lengthy work dating back to 1993. The goal is to "prevent the formation of a mountain of waste" whose volume is increasing three times as fast as other waste and of which 90% is being buried or incinerated without prior treatment, resulting in tremendous waste of natural resources and extremely serious consequences for the environment.