05/01/2015
RoHS became a directive as our fast growing electronic industry. The life span for electronics decreased from approximately 6 years to 2 years in the past decade. Most of these products end up in landfills where the dangerous substances from the electronics can potentially leach out. WEEE is a companion EU law to RoHS, which stands for Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. WEEE manufacturers and importers of electronic products are responsible for meeting the cost of their collection, treatment and recycling within the EU. RoHS will reduce the need for special handling of electronic waste in the future, while WEEE will deal with both existing and future waste, diverting it from EU landfills and reducing the threat of soil and water contamination, as well as human exposure to toxic substances.
The eight broad categories mentioned above reflect eight of the ten categories in of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) , the ROHS Regulations apply both to electric light bulbs and to household luminaries. The two categories of the WEEE Directive not included within the scope of the ROHS Regulations are Medical Devices and Monitoring & Control Instruments.
