RREUSE answers the public consultation on the evaluation of the WEEE Directive

As the amount of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) grows rapidly, regulatory interventions in this area are ever more relevant. Therefore RREUSE eagerly took the opportunity to engage in the public consultation on the evaluation of the WEEE Directive. This is a vital piece of legislation shaping the management of electronic waste in the EU.

In our response, we highlighted a clear need to amend some key provisions in the next revision of the directive. That is the only way to ensure that the legislation is fit for purpose. The main amendments include:

Aligning Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes with the waste hierarchy by allocating increased funding for re-use activities and involving accredited social enterprises operators in the governance and day-to-day functioning of the EPR schemes.

• Setting strong Ecodesign requirements and a sufficiently high eco-modulation of the EPR fee in order to provide the necessary incentives for longer-lasting and more circular products.
• Establishing quantitative preparation for re-use targets separate from recycling, using data generated from the obligations of the Directive to monitor preparation for re-use rates.
• Increasing the level of harmonisation across Member States by converting the Directive into a Regulation.
• Improving enforcement to combat illegal shipments and thwart the involvement of criminal organisations.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay