WEEE compliance promotion exercise : final report

Proper implementation, application and enforcement of European Union's (EU) waste legislation are among the key priorities of EU environmental legislation and policy. In their support, the European Commission is carrying out, or has carried out, compliance promotion initiatives to assist Member States with the implementation of EU waste legislation. Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is a fast-developing sector with continuous changes in equipment features, used materials and capabilities resulting in an increasing trend of EEE production and sales, which is contrasted with decreasing the equipment's use lifetime. Subsequently, the increasing quantity of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) generated, the complexity of dismantling and recycling, as well as the various substances in WEEE constitute a threat to the environment and human health. Furthermore, WEEE prevention, collection and management is a crucial element for establishing a circular economy where precious resources are not lost. To address these challenges more adequately, the European Union reviewed and subsequently revised its WEEE legislation. As a result, Directive 2012/19/EU ('WEEE2 Directive') repealed the first WEEE Directive and entered into force on 13 August 2012. In this context, the aim of the study is to review the WEEE management policies in the Member States in terms of technical content and ability to reach the targets of the WEEE2 Directive and, based on the results of the review, to provide support and guidance to the Member States, with a focus on the key WEEE2 requirements, including the WEEE collection and recovery targets. The overall aim of this study is also to enable and foster information exchange regarding WEEE management practices between the Member States, improving current WEEE management and supporting the achievement of the requirements and targets of the WEEE2 Directive.