The “WEEE” Directive lays down requirements covering the design of electrical and electronic equipment* to ensure that recycling and reuse at the end of the product service life is possible, the separate collection of such waste and the treatment of it to ensure that the relevant quantities are recovered for reuse.
“WEEE” was implemented in Britain by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006, now replaced by new regulations with the same name, dated 2013. Full details can be found in the Regulations themselves.
The “RoHS” Directive’s stated aim is to reduce the risks to health and the environment when waste electrical and electronic equipment is recycled.
RoHS was extended by Directive 2011/65/EU (“RoHS2”) which added two further substances to those controlled and extended the range of electrical and electronic equipment covered. The changes have been incorporated into the summary below :-
From 1st July 2006, new electrical & electronic equipment placed on the market may not contain any of the following substances in excess of the indicated tolerance levels:-
| CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE | TOLERANCE LEVEL |
| lead | 0.1 % |
| cadmium | 0.01 % |
| mercury | 0.1 % |
| hexavalent chromium | 0.1% |
| ADDED BY RoHS2 | |
| brominated biphenyls | 0.1 % |
| polybrominated diphenyl ethers | 0.1 % |
The restrictions do not apply to the provision of spare parts for equipment produced before the relevant implementation date. Details of the UK implementing legislation covering “RoHS2” can be found below.
There is an official UK Internet site covering RoHS2 – click here to access it. The site has a practical guide to the steps necessary to ensure compliance with RoHS2.
NB We provide this information in the belief that it is an accurate interpretation of the legislation. Final responsibility for compliance, however, must always remain with the person using JMB products.
* “electrical and electronic equipment” is defined as equipment operating at or below 1000V AC and at or below 1500 V DC and which falls within the following categories:
We can supply copies of any of these reference documents in electronic form.
This page will be updated as and when further developments in the implementation of RoHS occur.
Please feel free to contact us for futher information and help.