Norway – world record collections of waste electrical & electronic equipment (WEEE)

In 2004, over 90 percent of electrical and electronic waste was collected and processed in an environmentally responsible manner. Norwegians are the best in the world when it comes to the collection of WEEE.



Reports from the return systems for WEEE show that a total of 102,000 tons of WEEE was collected in Norway in 2004. Dealers, importers and manufacturers have, along with the Norwegian municipalities, been instrumental in facilitating the high collection levels for such waste.



"This means that the goal of collecting 80 percent has been reached with a substantial margin, and that proper treatment is being secured for large quantities of hazardous substances via the return system for EE waste. The collection efforts are one of the most important means we have in the waste area," says Håvard Holm, Director General of the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT).



Preventing environmental scandals



Many electrical and electronic products contain environmentally hazardous substances such as mercury, PCBs and flame retardants. If these products are discarded together with normal waste, the hazardous substances can cause serious environmental pollution.



Forgetting toys and telephones



The figures show that there are large differences between what we care to return in contrast to what we do not collect. The highest return was for domestic appliances, data equipment and lighting equipment, as well as professional machines and installations. Toys and telecommunications equipment have particularly low return percentages.



· Free to deliver – In 1999, manufacturers of electrical and electronic (EE) products were tasked with the responsibility for the collection and proper processing of EE waste.

· According to the regulations, there must be no charge for delivery of EE waste to dealers or to the municipalities.

· All dealers have an obligation to accept waste of the same type as the new products they sell.

· The waste is picked up from the dealers and municipalities and processed by the return companies.

· All importers and manufacturers have an obligation to participate in the return system by financing the collection and processing of EE-waste



Norway in first place



Today, Norwegians are the best in the world when it comes to the collection of this type of waste. There are reasons to believe that Norway will maintain this position for a number of years while the systems are being built up in Europe.



The EU has adopted a joint body of regulations concerning the collection of EE waste, which will go into effect in 2005. This also involves some changes to the Norwegian regulations, including the imposition of an obligation on all importers and exporters of EE products to be a member of a return company by 1 July 2006