Web-Resol Tudo sobre Limpeza Urbana e Resíduos Sólidos!
Germany has made further progress towards transposing the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) and the Restriction on Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) with the publication of a draft law on 13 July. The new regime will be based on existing collection infrastructure, giving producers partial responsibility for collecting and treating waste electrical and electronic equipment.
Colleagues from the Environment Team of the UK Embassy in Berlin report that the main concept of the Federal Environment Ministry‘‘s draft is identical to a consultation paper published earlier this year. From 13 August 2005, Local Authorities would be responsible for collecting, sorting and storing waste electrical and electronic equipment. Many Local Authorities are likely to utilise existing collection points. Producers would be required to collect all WEEE (including equipment placed on the market before August 2005) from the local authority collection points. They would then be responsible for treatment, recycling and disposal.
The draft law will be subject to further consultation until 6 August. Following a stakeholders meeting in August, views will be sought from other ministries. The law requires the approval of both houses of parliament. Despite missing the implementation deadline of August 2004, the Environment Ministry points out that it will be the first Member State to transpose the two directives. The Ministry estimates that the law should be finalised by the end of the year allowing the take-back requirements to take effect from 13 August 2005, as required by the WEEE Directive.
Comment
The German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (ZVEI) has been actively engaging with the German Ministries on the shape of the new legislation. In a press release of 15 July, the Association welcomes the proposed joint responsibility for the collection and treatment of WEEE.
The ZVEI will establish a foundation to oversee data collection, certification, monitoring and the registration of companies obligated under the directive. The foundation will also promote cooperation between consumers, local authorities and producers. The ZVEI estimates that the take-back infrastructure will cost industry between EUR350-500 per year
Artigos Relacionados
Check Also
Waste management poses challenges, but could unlock major environmental and economic gains
Every day, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest metropolises in the Southern Hemisphere, generates 17,000 tonnes of waste, ranging from large industrial debris to candy wrappers bought innocently at newspaper stands. While this waste presents a serious and urgent environmental challenge, it also fuels an increasingly significant portion of the economy, with benefits extending beyond financial gains. - When we look at developed European countries, many are already recycling between 40% and 50%, with some reaching 60%. From an economic standpoint, both recyclable materials and organic waste hold tremendous value - stated Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Environment and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), during the Methane Forum: Climate Emergency Brake, at the Rio Nature and Climate Week. Citing a 2025 report, Maluf mentioned that Brazil literally throws away R$27 billion annually, while municipalities spend significantly more - R$45 billion - managing all this waste, often overlooking the environmental impact or economic potential buried in landfills and dumps. - We spend R$45 billion to collect and dispose of waste in landfills, yet we manage to recycle less than a third of the potential. I believe it will be necessary to review contracts, create performance-based remuneration mechanisms, and pay for both effectively sorted materials and those diverted from landfills - he added. According to the IBGE, 60.5% of Brazilian municipalities adopt some form of selective waste collection, and several initiatives serve as examples of how to manage city waste. In his panel presentation, Bernardo Ornelas, Project Coordinator at the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Urban Cleaning Company (Comlurb), highlighted Ecoparque do Caju, a national benchmark in waste management and recycling. There, received materials are sorted and can be used for biogas production, organic compounds for urban gardens, or human consumption, in the case of still...