WEEE Compliance

What is WEEE?

European Directive 2002/96/EC of January 2003, known as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, requires EU Member States to implement national legislation making the producers (i.e. manufacturers, importers and certain other sellers) of certain categories of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) responsible for the costs of recovering and recycling their products when they reach the end of their working life, and for applying markings and providing information to facilitate this process.

Unlike “single-market” directives, which must be implemented consistently throughout the EU, the WEEE Directive allows Member States to expand its requirements as they see fit. This has resulted in countries implementing the Directive differently, leading to a degree of inconsistency across the EU.

Control Techniques Strategy

Items of industrial automation equipment such as variable-speed drives are generally not end products in themselves but become part of a larger system or another supplier’s product which itself may or may not be within the scope of WEEE legislation. On the basis of the best information and advice available at present, we believe that Control Techniques Drives and accessories are outside the scope of the WEEE Directive although, for the reasons given above, obligations may exist in individual Member States.

Drives may be incorporated into products which are within the scope of WEEE and whose manufacturers therefore have their own recycling obligation. In such cases, the fact that Control Techniques Drives contain a large proportion of easily-separated recyclable materials (e.g. aluminium and other metals, plastics etc.) will help these producers to meet their WEEE obligations.

Owing to EU restrictions on the trans-frontier shipment of waste, it is our understanding that WEEE arising in a Member State may not be shipped to another member state for recovery/recycling/disposal.

Further Information:

Trade associations and industry bodies are a good source of information and advice, and several have produced industry-specific guidance. Guidance produced by the European Commission and individual Governments may also be helpful. If doubt exists, legal advice should be sought.

EU information is available from:

http://www.ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee_index.htm

The UK Government publishes much information, some of which is particular to the UK but might be helpful elsewhere, at:

http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/sustainability/weee/page30269.html

Control Techniques Ltd

August 2006