UNEP(DEPI)/MED WG. 357/Inf. 11 13 April 2011 ENGLISH MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN Meeting of MED POL Focal Points Rhodes (Greece), 25 - 27 May 2011 DDRRAAFFTT ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF WASTE FROM ELECTRIC/ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT (WEEE) - PROPOSALS FOR ACTION Delegates are kindly requested to bring their documents to the meeting UNEP/MAP Athens, 2011 Acknowledgement The project “Assessment of Electronic, Electric Equipments (WEEE)” is part of the activities of the Basel Convention Regional Centre (BCRC) Slovakia. Its activities fall into the category of “The Environmentally Sound Management of the Basel Convention Priority Waste Streams”. The project was carried out by two experts under the guidance of the BCRC Slovakia in Bratislava and UNEP MAP. The main goal of the project was to assess the whole Mediterranean region which is composed of twenty one countries. Among these countries, eight is already an EU member and most of them are candidate countries to the European Union. All the involved countries have access to the Mediterranean Sea and, in addition, they are Parties to the Basel Convention. The project has two aspects. The first one is to assess the current situation. The second aspect is to work out a proposal for the regional action plan. The project is realised thanks to the funding provided by the UNEP/MAP as a donor institution. The Project Co-ordinator would like to use this opportunity to thank Mr. Fouad Abousamra, MEDPOL Programme Officer, for providing the funds and his professional support for the project. Simultaneously, the Project Co-ordinator would like to thank to both involved experts mentioned in alphabetical order for their professional approach. Ms. Katarína Lenková, Slovak Environmental Agency Mr. Jaromír Manhart, Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic Ms Dana Lapešová Project Co-ordinator Basel Convention Regional Centre Slovakia Project Summary The present project “Assessment of Electronic, Electric Equipments (WEEE)” has been realised thanks to the financial support provided by MEDPOL. The project is focused on assessment of the status of the management of the waste from electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) through two main project activities. The first one was to prepare a regional assessment of the current situation based on sub-regional assessments. The second task was to develop a proposal for action according to the Basel Convention Guidelines with the aim to develop a region-wide management plan. The waste from electric and electronic equipment or e-waste is currently growing as one of the most rapidly waste streams, in developed and developing countries and in countries with economies in transition (CET). The e-waste contains valuable materials appropriate for recovery or recycling. For that reason the e-waste management could play a very important role in countries’ economy. The Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal, which is ratified by most of the Mediterranean countries, emphasises environmentally sound management with the aim to protect human health and environment. Basel Convention experts worked out some specific guidelines aimed to assist Parties to manage the waste from electrical and electronic equipment in an environmentally sound manner. Eight of the Mediterranean countries are also members of the European Union. The two Directives related to e-waste have to be implemented into national legislation in that case: Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, and Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) The present project provides information on the following topics: ¾ Identification and/or estimation of current and future waste streams: materials composition of current and future flow streams ¾ Reuse possibilities: current levels of reuse of different WEEE, opportunities for greater reuse of products or parts of products, barriers to greater reuse, example of best and worst practices in re-se schemes ¾ Collection and collection scheme operation: organization of national collection schemes, cost of the schemes, Economic instruments to facilitate the collection, administrative requirements ¾ Sorting and sorting scheme operation: organization of national sorting schemes, cost of the schemes, Economic instruments to facilitate sorting, administrative requirements ¾ Recycling and recycling scheme operation: organization of national recycling schemes, cost of the schemes, Economic instruments to facilitate the recycling, administrative requirements ¾ Disposal and disposal scheme operation: organization of national disposal schemes, cost of the schemes, Economic instruments to facilitate the environmental sound disposal, administrative requirements ¾ Technology to treat process or dispose of WEEE: capacities and inputs/outputs for existing technologies for sorting, treatment including recovery, recycling and disposal In addition, the project proposes the “way forward” or recommendations and actions to be taken. The recommendations varies whether the country is a member state of EU or not. The recommendations are focused on two areas - technical and administrative/ financial. On the top, there should be proper legislation. In case of EU members there are two Directives on WEEE and related regulations. The real implementation should be checked by environmental inspectorates. It is very important: • to create the national waste management plans with clear targets; • to create appropriate conditions for the market of recycled and secondary raw materials; • to generate detailed national WEEE statistics and regularly report comprehensive WEEE data through the one designated body on both regional and international level; • to improve collection infrastructure especially of WEEE from municipal and household waste stream • to provide and widen WEEE take-back system for consumers of end-of-life EEE. • to establish separation facilities and centres covering the main residential and industrial areas of interest. • to radically reduce a final disposal of WEEE - landfilling;. • to organize public awareness campaigns; • to undertake WEEE pilot projects; • positively motivate consumers to change their habitudes towards WEEE handling. For accession countries as a most important is to prepare full transposition of new EU Waste Framework Directive (2008) and development of national regulation transposing EU regulation on WEEE. The adoption and implementation of adequate legislation should be considered as the first step. The follows should be aimed at relevant strategic documents, to develop an information system on e-waste, to ensure institutional arrangements systems in e-waste management and development of public awareness programmes. The countries should concentrate their activities on preparation and improvement of their legislation and related documents, on determine of their obligations and responsibilities, on development and implementing of the economic tools in all steps of e-waste management, to build local capacities for e-waste treatment and introduce of subsidies and incentives for establishment of new e-waste treatment facilities. The information system and verification of quality and reliability of dates will play a very important role. Table of contents Acknowledgement Project Summary Table of contents 2. Geographical and economic characteristic of the countries concerned 1 3. Legal framework of the electric and electronic waste 1 4. Identification and/or estimation of current and future waste streams: materials composition of current and future flows streams 17 5. Collection and collection systems, sorting and sorting systems: organization of national collection and sorting schemes, cost of the schemes, economic instruments to facilitate the collection and sorting, administrative requirements 40 6. Reuse possibilities: current levels of reuse of different WEEE, opportunities for greater reuse products or parts of products, barriers to greater reuse, and an example of the best and the worst practices in re-use schemes 104 7. Technology to treat, process or dispose of WEEE: capacities and inputs/outputs for existing technologies for sorting, treatment including recovery, recycling and disposal 113 8. Recycling and recycling scheme operation: organization of national recycling schemes, cost of the schemes, economic instruments to facilitate the recycling, administrative requirements 142 9. Disposal and disposal scheme operation: organization of national disposal schemes, cost of the schemes, economic instruments to facilitate the environmental sound disposal, administrative requirements 173 10. Recommendations – action to be taken 194 11. Conclusion 207 12. Literature 209 13. List of acronyms and abbreviations 211 UNEP(DEPI)/MED WG. 357/Inf. 11 Page 1 2. Geographical and economic characteristic of the countries concerned Country Capital Total country Country GDP (nominal) area [km2] population /capita [USD] Albania Tirana 28,748 3,659,616 3,911 Algeria Algiers 2,381,741 34,895,000 4,418 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 51,129 4,613,414 4,278 Croatia Zagreb 56,594 4,489,409 14,243 Cyprus Nicosia 9,251 870,000 29,619 Egypt Cairo 1,002,45077,420,000 2,450 France Paris 674,843 65,447,374 42,747 Greece Athens 131,99011,306,183 29,635 Israel Jerusalem 22,0727,587,000