A practical guide to understanding the scope and obligations of Directive 2012/19/EU on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

Published: June 2018
Hard copy languages: English
Electronic copy languages: English
Category:
Guides

From 15 August 2018, the scope changes introduced by the recast of Directive 2012/19/EU on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) will become operative and turn the existing “closed” scope of ten product categories into an “open scope”: this means that all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) unless explicitly excluded will be in scope from this open-scope-period onwards. Consequently, the definition, number and relevance of the categories will change, and some EEE that was previously out of scope will now fall in the scope of the Directive and have to comply with its obligations.

To help better understanding the given changes and their consequences, Orgalime has published a Guide to Understanding the Scope and Obligations on the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive 2012/19/EU (WEEE).

The guide provides descriptions of the legal text of the recast WEEE Directive and related Commission Frequently Asked Questions document, interpretations, criteria and decision trees to help producers to determine whether or not their products fall within the scope of this Directive.

This Guide complements earlier Orgalime guides, and the 2006 Guide to help producers understanding the scope of the WEEE1 Directive 2002/96/EC and Directive 2002/95/EC on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in EEE (RoHS1) in particular.