By - Prasad S.
Associate Project Engineer
Conformity Assessment Services
UL India Pvt. Ltd.
Bangalore, India
Introduction
Across the globe, governments are starting to take steps to limit the amount of waste and pollution generated by electronic equipment and other materials. The first test of this new type of legislation will be the WEEE (Waste of Electrical & Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) initiatives in the European Community. WEE directive is already enforced during late 2005 and RoHS will come into effect from July 2006. For companies wishing to export their products for sale or use in one of the EC member countries, it will be mandatory to comply with these initiatives.
There is still a lot of confusion about what WEEE and RoHS mean, who will be responsible for the costs, and how it will affect exports. WEEE is already got into action since August 13, 2005, and RoHS takes effect on July 1, 2006. Companies that haven’t got their products in line with the regulations will find the doors to Europe shut at that time. This could be catastrophic considering that the weakness of the dollar is causing a lot of companies to look to the EC to increase profits.
About WEEE
WEEE aims to reduce the amount of landfilled waste, estimated at 12 million tonnes by 2010, by mandating the recycling of electronic waste. Items that are regulated by WEEE fall into ten broad-based product categories:
* Large household appliances like stoves or microwaves
* Small household appliances like toasters and vacuums
* IT and telecommunications equipment like computers and printers
* Consumer equipment like radios and televisions
* Lighting equipment such as fluorescent lights
* Electric tools such as table saws and sewing machines
* Toys and leisure and sports equipment like video games
* Medical devices such as cardiology testing machines
....contd.
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