German government adopts regulation on treatment of WEEE

The German government has adopted a regulation on requirements for the treatment of WEEE. The new rules aim to adapt the existing treatment requirements, which have remained unchanged since 2005, to technical progress and to consider new material compositions and relatively new products such as flat screens or LED lamps.

The regulation transfers the current Annex 4 of the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) on the treatment of WEEE into a separate legal act and adds requirements for the removal of pollutants and the protection of resources.

It also introduces treatment requirements for photovoltaic modules, which have only been within the scope of the ElektroG since 2015.

If agreed by the country’s Upper House (Bundesrat), the regulation is set to enter into force on 1 January 2022.

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