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Stakeholder’s responsibility

Standards should specify the stakeholder/s affected by the standards and outline their responsibilities to comply with the standards.

Each stakeholder has a unique role with assigned responsibilities

Example: CENELEC CLC/TS 50625-4:2017(E) 4.1.2:

“The collection operator and logistics operator shall possess infrastructure, in terms of size, technologies installed, equipment and characteristics of the operations, that is suitable for the activities performed”.

Example: CENELEC CLC/TS 50625-3-3:2017 (E) 4.101.2 CRT equipment:

“The treatment operator shall have a documented procedure showing the methodology of CRT glass removal process from deflection coils; electron guns; crushed or shredded mixed fraction; […].”

Requirements along the value chain

Collection of WEEE

Aim: Collect and transport e-waste in a way that prevents damage to the environment and to human health and in a way that maximises the recyclability of the waste.

Standards in collection should:

  • Prevent damage to e-waste during this phase.
  • Ensure it does not hinder the removal and the correct treatment of hazardous materials and of other components that could be recycled.
  • Support the reuse and recycling of e-waste as well as the proper disposal or incineration of materials that cannot be treated.

How to ensure the standards are met?

  • Offer adequate infrastructure for collection, monitoring and supervising of e-waste.
  • Train staff to handle e-waste and make available proper tools needed.

Treatment of WEEE

Aim: Reuse and refurbish as much as possible, this saves energy and resources. And prepare waste for recycling (to optimise recycling step).

To consider when establishing standards on reuse and refurbishment:

  • Energy efficiency might be significantly higher for new devices. When possible, use the less impacting on the environment.
  • Second-hand market might be too limited to reuse the product.
  • Personal information for the previous user of the product might still be on the device. Media sanitization is an important step to avoid loss of theft of those personal data.

Standards should focus on:

  • Stipulation of quality recycling requirements.
  • Setup recycling targets based on the use of the best available technology.

End-of-life / Feedback to market of WEEE

Aim: Usage of incineration and final disposal of recyclable materials should only occur when reuse, recycling, refurbishment and material recovery options have been exhausted.

Standards in end-of-life:

  • Should require operators to use final disposal and incineration facilities that have the best available technologies.
  • If these facilities are not available, standards should require the use of the highest standard disposal and incineration facility available in the region.

More generally, standards in end-of-life should deviate from the traditional steps if it is shown scientifically that treatment, other than recycling, brings a better environmental performance (when considering the entire life cycle of the product).