The Plain & Simple WEEE & “Elektrogesetz” Compliance Scheme
THE PROBLEM
What’s WEEE?
Since 2003, the European WEEE Directive [Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment] governs the putting on the market, the take-back, and the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment [EEE]. It defines the regulatory framework for the specific handling in the different member states of the EU. Due to dependencies of national recovery structures there is no pan-European implementation of the WEEE Directive. Instead, each member state has its own national legislation, requiring an individual Compliance solution per country.
What’s the “Elektrogesetz”?
The “Elektrogesetz” [“ElektroG”] is the German transposition of the WEEE Directive. Following the underlying “Polluter Pays Principle” (PPP) it defines an extensive range of requirements and obligations for the producer or the first company that puts EEE onto the German market, above all the full coverage of the recycling costs. The “Stiftung EAR®” is the official Clearing House for Germany. In transposition of the updated WEEE2 Directive the new “ElektroG2” contains important additional regulations on the scope, the categorization of products, and the take-back of WEEE.
Who needs to act?
Which Products are WEEE-relevant?
Product Category | Examples |
1: Heat exchanging equipment | Refrigerators, freezers, clothes dryers with heat pump, aircos, oil heaters |
2: Screens & monitors | TVs, monitors, touch panels, laptops, tablets, digital picture frames |
3: Lamps | Gas discharge lamps, energy saving lamps (CFL), neon tubes (TL), LED lamps, UV lamps |
4: Large equipment (over 50 cm) and Photovoltaic panels | Stoves, dishwashers, fitness equipment, kitchen hoods, electrical furniture, large luminaires, large electrical tools |
5: Small equipment (up to 50 cm) | Microwaves, toasters, coffee machines, small electrical tools, loudspeakers, HIFI electronics, measuring equipment, LED shoes, flashlights |
6: Small IT and telecommunications equipment (up to 50 cm) | Mice, keyboards, PCs, routers, telephones, chip cards, mobile phones, harddrives, GPS devices, small printers |
What’s to do?
The producer or company that puts EEE on the market for the first time needs to provide the Compliance of the products along the following three categories, before they may be offered and sold in Germany:
No Compliance – No Market!
Which fines and sanctions exist?
THE SOLUTION
Ex-WEEE® – Our one-stop WEEE solution
The complexity and the complicated handling of the German “Elektrogesetz” make WEEE compliance in Germany a significant challenge for producers and other affected companies. An own solution has to satisfy a wide range of requirements and obligations. Normally, there are several different contacts, suppliers, and cost centers involved, resulting in high efforts and costs. In addition, reliable budgeting is near to impossible, due to the bad predictability of the variable costs. Also, errors during the implementation of the WEEE compliance and also the dynamics of the underlying regulations pose a high risk for all involved parties. Ex-WEEE® provides a one-stop solution for all requirements and obligations resulting from the German “Elektrogesetz”:
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