| ECOLOGY |
Under one proposal, consumers would be able to return discarded electrical & electronic equipment to the manufacturer free of charge, & the producer would be responsible for recycling the equipment. Under the other, the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, Cr(VI) & certain brominated flame retardants would be phased out of electronic & electrical prodts by 2008. The proposals apply to large & small household appliances, such as washing machines & coffee makers, & to electronic equipment, such as computers, televisions & toys. According to the EC proposals, discarded electrical & electronic equipment now constitutes 4% of municipal waste, & the volume is increasing 16 – 28% every 5 years. Before the proposals can go into effect, they must be approved by the European Council of Ministers & European Parliament. Most observers expect the rules will be adopted with only minor changes. Under the proposals, by 2006 60 – 80% of discarded electrical & electronic equipment has to be recovered & recycled by the manufacturers after it is collected by municipal authorities. For large domestic appliances, the recycling rate must be 75%; for cathode ray tubes used in TV & computer monitors, 70%; for other computer equipment, 65%; & for audio & video equipment, 50%. After 2008, higher recycling rates will apply. Currently, 90% of electronic waste in the EU is disposed of in landfills, incinerated, or ends up in shredding facilities with no pretreatment |
| UPDATE | 07.00 |
| AUTHOR | EU's Commission |
| LITERATURE REF. | This data is not available for free |
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