WEEE RoHSSo, what do you do with the tons of obsolete electronics people buy every day? Just pitch it into the trash, right?

Wrong!  

In just a few decades, we’ve upgraded and miniaturized computing power, moved from clunky computers the size of a gym to machines smaller than your hand. We do it using a variety of exotic (and toxic) chemicals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, PVC, beryllium, chromium and more.

We love these toxins in our electronics because they allow wireless text messaging. But when they get out of the devices they are built in they can cause cancer, neurological and endocrine disorders, birth defects, and much, much more - so we don’t love these toxins in our air, water, food, or bodies.

This is where WEEE comes in.

WEEE is the European Community directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The amusing name is not to be confused with Wii, Nintendo’s new toy.

WEEE and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances became European Law in 2003. It places responsibility for the e-waste problem on the companies who manufacture the Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Manufacturers are required to use the collected waste in an environmentally-friendly manner, either by safe and responsible disposal or by reuse/refurbishment of the collected WEEE.

It makes law in Europe what Panasonic is doing in the United States voluntarily. You might say North America’s new e-waste recycling company is beating WEEE-like regulations on this side of the ocean.

Tags: Nokia

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 9:41 am and is filed under Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.