[Query] WEEE is a "Priority Waste Stream"

[dancefloorlandmine]

Nope, you read the title correctly. It would appear that the authors of the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment were never aged four at any point.

The aim seems to be to reduce the polluting effects of the vast quantity of electronic equipment going to landfill as things become obsolete with increasing rapidity. Good call. This includes everything from electronic toys to computers.

The plan appears to be to put the onus on the "producers" to fund the collection and disposal of the WEEE, and household users will not be charged. (OK, this might mean increased prices for those of us on the consumer end ...) However, I foresee a couple of potential snags - one is what the Directive refers to as "orphan" WEEE - that for which the producer is no longer in business. The cost of processing this WEEE will be shared out among the current producers. But what will happen with kit-built hardware? Additionally, it states that producers may enter into agreements with business users to share the costs of processing. Any bets that will become a standard part of the small print for business hardware contracts?

There has been an additional suggestion that this may have an impact on the donation of IT equipment to charities (obviously a subject close to my job heart). Does anyone have any more information regarding this?

Comments

It seems to be working for us...

[gaxx.livejournal.com]

It's caused us to get of our collective ar**s (well management at our place anyway) and take the room-full of old kit we have and donate it to a charity that's shipping it out to third-world countries for re-use :)

Re: It seems to be working for us...

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

How old was it? [grin]

We're a charity with assorted bits of history that may well need to be got rid of soon. Of course, it'll end up down to me to sort that out as well ...

Re: It seems to be working for us...

[gaxx.livejournal.com]

Yeah - we're theoretically a charity too... and it does take a fair push for us to get a move on with this sort of stuff :(

Re: It seems to be working for us...

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Yeah - but the person who will be pushed is me! [rueful grin] And there's so much else to do ...

Re: It seems to be working for us...

[gaxx.livejournal.com]

I seem to have gathered enough mass that people don't bother pushing now ;)

Re: It seems to be working for us...

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Ah ... the problem is that I have to push myself, as it sometimes seems that I am the only one who knows anything ...

Re: It seems to be working for us...

[gaxx.livejournal.com]

Isn't that rather like trying to pick yourself up by your boot-laces?

Re: It seems to be working for us...

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Similar, but less effective. [grin]