07 April 2005
Living with WEEE
With the deadline for compliance to WEEE recently extended, just how prepared to meet the legislation is the UK? By Vanessa Knivett.
If one point alone demonstrates the inadequacy of man made processes, it is this – no industrial process yet demonstrated has been able to mimic the efficiency with which the natural world recycles matter. With the electronics industry no exception, our constant pursuit of performance, speed, accuracy and reduced cost in the name of Moore’s Law, means that we tend to forget more fundamental ‘Laws’ that value ‘end of life’.
As much as any piece of European legislation can do, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive aims to address this balance. Designed to encourage designers and producers of electrical and electronic equipment to take into account repair, upgrade, disassembly, reuse and recycling as vital stages within a product’s lifecycle, WEEE has, so far, experienced a troubled path to take up.
On a physical level, the task is a significant one. An estimated six million tonnes of electrical equipment is discarded annually throughout Europe, comprising 2.4million tonnes of ferrous metal, 1.2million tonnes of plastic, 650,000tonnes of copper, more than 300,000tonnes of aluminium and of glass, and quantities of harmful substances such as lead, mercury and flame retardants.
Author
Vanessa Knivett
Supporting Information
Downloads
5537\living-with-weee.pdf
Websites
http://www.envirowise.gov.uk
http://www.intellectuk.org
http://www.rfi-global.com
http://www.zirkonlimited.co.uk
Companies
Intellect
RFI Global Services Ltd
Stadium Zirkon Ltd
This material is protected by Findlay Media copyright
See Terms
and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the
sales team.