Push for more electronics plastics recycling

Archiv – An influential committee is pushing for a steep increase in the volume of electronics plastics recycled and reused within the EU.
This move is signalled in amendments tabled to planned reforms of the EU’s Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) by the European Parliament’s environment committee. These suggest that EU member states should collect at least 85% of WEEE generated domestically by the year 2016 – a significant increase over the 65% proposed by the European Commission.Europe | An influential committee is pushing for a steep increase in the volume of electronics plastics recycled and reused within the EU.
This move is signalled in amendments tabled to planned reforms of the EU’s Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) by the European Parliament’s environment committee. These suggest that EU member states should collect at least 85% of WEEE generated domestically by the year 2016 – a significant increase over the 65% proposed by the European Commission.
The committee has also called for these targets to be calculated on the basis of actual waste, rejecting the European Commission’s idea of using a proportion of new products sent to retailers. A committee statement reads: ’Targets should be based on real waste because older goods are often stored or given away, rather than thrown away.’
The committee also voted for solar panels to be exempted from the directive altogether ’bearing in mind the photovoltaic industry’s voluntary target to recycle 85% of modules’.
It also backs exemptions for vehicles, military material and fixed industrial installations. These exemptions will be reviewed within five years.