WEEE directive
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) is a European Community Directive (2012/19/EU), that deals with waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It became European Law in February 2003 at the same time as the RoHS Directive (2011/65/EU).
The Directive set collection, recycling and recovery targets for electrical goods whilst the RoHS Directive set restrictions on the material content of new electronic equipment on the market.
The Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013 became law in the UK on the 1st of January 2014 and replaced the 2006 Regulations. Those Regulations transposed the main provisions of Directive 2012/19/EU on WEEE which recast the previous Directive 2002/96/EC. The scope of the Regulations were extended in January 2019 to cover further categories of electric and electronic equipment (EEE).
The WEEE Directive aims to contribute to sustainable production and consumption by;
- preventing the creation of WEEE as a first priority.
- contributing to the efficient use of resources and the retrieval of secondary raw materials through re-use, recycling and other forms of recovery.
- improving the environmental performance of everyone involved in the life cycle of EEE.
In order to achieve these objectives, the Directive
- requires the separate collection and proper treatment of WEEE and sets targets for their collection as well as for their recovery and recycling.
- helps European countries fight illegal waste exports more effectively by making it harder for exporters to disguise illegal shipments of WEEE.
- reduces the administrative burden by calling for the harmonisation of national EEE registers and of the reporting format.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Articles about electricity.
- Consumer electronics.
- Consumer unit.
- ECA articles.
- Electrical appliance.
- Electrical equipment.
- Electrical installation.
- Electrical safety.
- Electrical system.
- Electrical and electronic equipment
- End of life potential.
- Environmental impact assessment EIA.
- Environmental plan for building design and construction.
- Planned obsolescence.
- Plastic and recycling.
- Recycling explained.
- Types of plastic in construction.
- Waste and Resources Action Programme WRAP.
- Waste hierarchy.
- Waste management plan for England.
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.