WEEE

Recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

WEEE

Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are the electric or electronic equipments being wastes according to Article 183, para 1, letter a), of the Legislative decree April 3rd,2006, no. 152, including all components, sub-assemblies and consumables which are part of the device when the customer discards it or intends or has the obligation to do that.

Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) are the equipment which is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly and equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of such currents and fields and designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1 000 Volt for alternating current and 1 500 Volt for direct current.

ERP recipients

Companies that produce or import equipment and products such as –

electrical or IT products, PCs, computers, printers, large and small household appliances, IT and telecommunications equipment, consumer equipment and air conditioners, lighting equipment, electrical and electronic equipment, toys and leisure and sports equipment, medical devices, monitoring and control instruments, vending machines, batteries and accumulators, and photovoltaic panels

– can use an international compliance scheme for the collection and recycling of B2C and B2B WEEE in Italy and abroad and to comply with regulatory obligations in the various countries in which they are present, using a single operator.

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Producers

of Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Batteries and Accumulators

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Distributors

of Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Batteries and Accumulators

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Importers

of Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Batteries and Accumulators

Support for EEE Producers

Our solutions allow Producers to comply with the WEEE legislation effectively and in full compliance with current regulations.

Financing model for WEEE

Legislative Decree 49/14, recently amended by Legislative Decree 118/2020, provides for the obligation of EEE Producers to organize and finance WEEE collection, treatment and recycling operations. This on the basis of the Extended Producer Responsibility Principle and in order to achieve the minimum collection and recycling objectives, imposed by the European Union and implement the so-called Circular economy.

Regulation

The Legislative Decree n. 49 of 14 March 2014 represents the reference legislation regarding Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

It has currently been modified by Legislative Decree 118/2020, which implements the European Directive 2018/849, present in the Circular Economy Package.

Regulations

Sanctions

Companies that do not comply with WEEE and RPA regulations may face penalties for non-compliance with their obligations.

Sanctions EEE and Batteries Accumulators

Obligations

Companies that place Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Batteries and Accumulators on the market are required to comply with certain obligations deriving from the relevant regulations.

Obligations

Cooling devices

his type of WEEE includes refrigerators, freezers and appliances equipped with refrigeration devices, such as water chillers. Some appliances contain refrigerating gases which are classified as ODS (ozone-depleting substances) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which are now banned.

These gases are captured and treated in ODS recovery facilities. Cooling equipment decontamination implies a series of processes. The compressors are decontaminated to recover ODS and oils. Insulating foam is treated for ODS recovery. Metals are recovered and resold. Plastic can be re-used for new products. Recovered ODS and oils are destroyed by a special treatment process.

Discover the recycling cycle of refrigerators, freezers and water coolers.

Recycling process

1. Decontamination

2. Crushing

3. Separation

4. Decontamination with foam

Recovered materials

Gas

Oil

Non-Ferrous Metal

Plastic

Ferrous Metal

Foam

Devices with a display screen

Display equipment includes cathode ray tubes (found on older generation TVs and monitors), flat-screen monitors and TVs, such as plasma and liquid crystal displays (LCD).

Cathode ray tubes (CRT) contain harmful phosphorus powders, leaded glass, copper and other rare metals. These materials can be reused to make new products. The panel and the tapered glass of cathode ray tubes can be recovered. The tapered glass coating is removed, and the glass cleaned to allow the production of a new CRT.

Most LCD TVs use mercury lamps to illuminate the screen. To remove the lamps, the device must be dismantled before the LCD screen is processed. Studies to develop more effective automated solutions are underway.

If you want to receive more information, contact us via the contact area.

Recycling process

1. Manual dismantling

2. Cathode ray tube separation (Pb, Ba)

3. Compression and removal of metals

4. Glass cleaning

Recovered materials

Ferrous Metal

Non-Ferrous Metal

Monitor body and electronics

Circuit Board

Leaded glass

Unleaded glass

Small household appliances

This WEEE category is the most complex because it contains a wide range of substances that can be recovered: wood, metal, plastic, glass and cardboard.

The category includes: cleaning appliances, vacuum cleaners, mechanical brooms, sewing, knitting, weaving and other fabric processing machines, irons and other equipment for ironing, pressing and further processing of clothes, toasters, fryers, electric grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages, electric knives, hair-clippers, hair-dryers, electric brushes, razors, massage and body care devices, clocks, alarm clocks and equipment for measuring, indicating and recording time, etc. These devices are dismantled, and the plastic parts are separated from the metal parts. Initial decontamination includes the removal of toner, cartridges, batteries and cables.

If you want to receive more information, contact us via the contact area.

Recycling process

1. Manual pretreatment

2. Compression

3. Collection station: batteries, capacitors, printed circuit boards, electric motors, large objects, other hazardous components

4. Crushing

5. Separation

Recovered materials

Cables

Waste

Plastic

Fine materials

Ferrous Metal

Non-Ferrous Metal

Individual Components

Lamps

This grouping includes neon tubes and energy-efficient light bulbs, known as compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), while old filament bulbs and halogen lamps are not classified as WEEE.

Lamps are crushed and washed or treated in pressurised containers.

Special machines are used for the removal of phosphorus and mercury. The remaining material is divided into glass, metal and plastic.

The recovered phosphorus powder and mercury can be reused to produce new lamps. Shattered glass can be used to cover ovens or, if sufficiently pure, make new lamps. Aluminium bases are melted while other metals are recycled.

ERP Italia is the founder of the WEEE Coordination Centre (CDCRAEE) and the National Coordination Centre for Batteries and Accumulators (CDCNPA) and is recognised as an authoritative, efficient and reliable organisation to simplify the management of contributions and its members’ regulatory compliance.

Recycling process

1. Crushing

2. Separation

3. Powder recovery

Recovered materials

Ferrous Metal

Non-Ferrous Metal

Mercury

Photovoltaic panels

Silicon based photovoltaic panels require normal flat glass treatment and no special removal of the semiconductor layer.

Non-silicon photovoltaic panels require special semiconductor removal technology and the isolation of toxic heavy metals.

If you need assistance with the disposal of your photovoltaic panels, contact ERP.

Recycling process

1. Remove cables, plug and semiconductor

2. Separate aluminium and glass from the photovoltaic panel

3. Removing labels

4. Reusing or recycling the EVA film and recovering chemical elements such as cadmium and selenium

5. Separating into different components (EVA film, aluminium, wafer, plastic cable and plug, semiconductor, glass)

6. Recycling the glass components in a foundry

Recovered materials

Leaded glass

Individual Components

Plastic

Unleaded glass

Cables

Metal

Cadmium

IT Equipment

Computers, printers, GPS, mobile phones, routers, and mousepads

Recycling process

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Recovered materials

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Plastic

Recovered Materials Icon Pb

Lead

Recovered Materials Icon Co

Cobald

Recovered Materials Icon Ni

Nickel

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Metal

Recovered Materials Icon Mn

Manganese

Recovered Materials Icon Hg

Mercury

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Acid

Recovered Materials Icon Zn

Zinc

Recovered Materials Icon Cd

Cadmium