E-waste: How Industry Associations are Helping Engineers Design for Reuse and Recycling
Electronic waste is a huge global problem, and one thats often devestating impact on our environment is not expected to lessen any time soon.
According to WRAP – the Waste Resources Action Programme, a UK organisation which helps businesses, local authorities and individuals to reduce waste and be more resource efficient – electrical and electronic products represent the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, with more than 1million tonnes generated every year.
Discarded computers, mobile phones, printers, digital music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions are just some of the items at the top of the e-waste heap, which is believed to be likely to grow substantially over the coming years.
From August 2005 and July 2006 respectively, all companies producing electrical and electronic products, components and sub assemblies have had to comply with two items of EC legislation: the Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Directive on the Restriction of Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment.
The WEEE Directive was introduced into UK law to reduce the amount of electronic equipment being produced and to encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover it. It also aims to improve the environmental performance of businesses that manufacture, supply, use, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment.
“WEEE is the fundamental directive the EU has implemented to address e-waste,” explained Gerrard Fisher, WRAP’s special advisor on WEEE. “Its aim is to track the sale of electrical and electronic equipment as it’s put on the market. Once these products reach their end of life, they become waste electrical and electronic equipment. The products must then be disposed of in accordance with EU guidelines.”
One of the main requirements of the WEEE Directive is for electronic goods to be designed in a way that makes them easily recyclable. For design engineers, this means using more environmentally friendly materials, designing for assembly and disassembly, designing to minimise resource consumption and using fewer hazardous substances.
Source: New Electronics
By Laura Hopperton