Guide to the WEEE Directive

Introduction

Short name: WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU)

Reference Number: 2012/19/EU

Official Title:
Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It is also known as the WEEE Directive.

Description:
Officially, the WEEE Directive is not a CE marking Directive. However, it applies to products that need to comply with CE requirements and for that reason we include it on our site.

Directive 2012/19/EU was published on the 4th of July 2012. It came into force 20 days later on 13th August 2012. The Member States have until 14th of February 2014 to adopt and publish the national laws and regulations transposing the provisions of the new Directive into national law.

The objectives of the WEE directive are, in particular, to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment, to protect human health and to utilize natural resources prudently and rationally.

Which products are covered by the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU)?

This Directive applies to the following electrical and electronic equipment (EEE):

  • large household appliances,
  • small household appliances,
  • IT and telecommunications equipment,
  • consumer equipment and photovoltaic panels,
  • lighting equipment,
  • electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools),
  • toys,
  • leisure and sports equipment,
  • medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products),
  • monitoring and control instruments,
  • automatic dispensers.

Which products are not covered by the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU)?

The WEEE Directive does not apply to any of the following equipment:

  • equipment that is necessary for the protection of the essential interests of the security of Member States, including arms, munitions and war material intended for specifically military purposes;
  • equipment that is specifically designed and installed as part of another type of equipment that is excluded from or does not fall within the scope of this Directive,
  • filament bulbs.

How to comply with the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU):

The directive imposes the responsibility for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment on the manufacturers or distributors of such equipment. It requires that those companies establish an infrastructure for collecting WEEE, in such a way that “Users of electrical and electronic equipment from private households should have the possibility of returning WEEE at least free of charge”. The directive saw the formation of national “producer compliance schemes”, into which manufacturers and distributors paid an annual fee for the collection and recycling of associated waste electronics from household waste recycling centers.

Do you need help with CE marking according to the WEEE Directive?

Are you making available electronics, electrical equipment, or any other products covered by the WEEE Directive in the EU market? In that case, your product may need to comply with the CE rules. Hopefully, this article has provided you with the guidance to get started.

We understand that the requirements can be complex. The process is daunting and rather intimidating, considering that all your efforts may be in vain if you don’t get it right. We will be happy to help. We offer consulting and coaching solutions and can tailor our services to your specific needs.

Reach out to us by phone, or simply fill out the form below to ensure we have the information we need to provide you with a fitting offer. Our team looks forward to assisting you.

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