Electrical and Electronic
Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment management
EEE Extended Producers Responsibility
According to the Decree-Law no. 152-D / 2017, of December 11, no. 1 of Article 3, the “producer of the product” is “a natural or legal person who, regardless of the selling technique used, including sales made by means of distance communication and not including those exclusively financing under a financing agreement, unless it also acts as a producer within the meaning of the following sub-paragraphs:
If the company does not have facilities in Portugal and works with a foreign VAT, it must elect an authorized representative to assume the legal obligations in force.
Sustainable pratices in the Electrical and Electronic Equiment (EEE) life cycle
Framework
The commercialization of EEE has increased significantly in recent decades, as a result of technological advances and rapid economic growth. Continuous innovation and production growth in in this sector have led to the development of different types of these products and, as a consequence, there is a greater diversity of Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
The application of Life Cycle Analysis allows companies to systematically identify and assess environmental impacts at all stages of EEE life cycle, from the extraction or raw materials synthesis, through production, transportation, use and resulting waste destination. With this information companies can design more sustainable EEE, contribute to the efficient use of resources and recovery of secondary raw materials with value, as well as prepare products for their reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery, reducing the amount of waste.
Through a preventive approach, it is possible to optimize EEE environmental performance and preserve its functional characteristics.
Producer Extended Responsibility
Regarding the Decree-Law no. 152-D, of 11 December, which establishes the legal regime to which the management of specific waste streams (such as WEEE) is covered, the principle of extended producer responsibility must include, also, sustainable processes in the products design and manufacture in order to facilitate and optimize their reuse, dismantling, recycling and other forms of recovery, as waste.
Thus, products put on the market must reflect concerns both in terms of the resources use global impacts, other impacts arising from the production and management of waste, as well as contributing to sustainable development, through practices such as:
- Eco-efficiency – reducing the quantities of raw materials or using recyclable and / or recycled materials;
- Ecodesign – product design in order to facilitate its dismantling, recycling or recovery, with less content of dangerous substances.
In accordance with the principle of extended producer responsibility, the producer is responsible for a significant part of the environmental impacts throughout its life cycle, especially in terms of the design and production of the products, which impacts will necessarily be reflected at the end of its life.
How ERP Portugal can help
ERP Portugal, as a compliance scheme licensed by the Portuguese State, guarantees to its Members, Producers of EEE, the legal fulfillment of their obligations, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 152-D / 2017, of December 11.
Our team is available to support in all phases of the joining process, including registration in the Portuguese Environment Agency SILiAmb platform, identification of products put on the national market and which are covered by the scope of the activity of the compliance scheme, until submission of the annual declarations.
To join ERP Portugal, the Producer must:
1. Pre-registration of Producer of EEE and/or BA in the Portuguese Environment Agency;
2. Register the company data at ERP Portugal website;
3. Send a copy of the company’s commercial certificate or the access code to the permanent certificate;
4. Signing the Member contract.
The condition of small member applies to producers whose weight of EEE put on the national market is equivalent to 1 tonne or less.
This classification can have two frameworks:
(a) when the put on the market does not reach 1 tonne, but the financial value calculated following the submission of the annual declaration is more than 80 € (eighty euros), producers shall be required to pay the amount resulting from the declaration;
(b) if the put on the market exceeds 1 tonne, but the financial value calculated following the submission of the annual declaration is less than € 80 (eighty euros), the producers shall pay the minimum annual financial contribution only.
By the end of 2017, ERP Portugal has collected over 187 000 tonnes of WEEE.
More information at info@erp-portugal.pt
Recycling
Which are the WEEE categories?
There are different categories of WEEE, regarding its composition and ways of management, treatment, and recycling:
The EU has introduced the WEEE Directive and the RoHS Directive to tackle the issue of the growing amount of WEEE.
WEEE Directive – here
Large domestic appliances
Washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashing machines, cookers;
The first stage of recycling is decontamination: cables and other electrical components are removed; ballasts, plastics, iron compounds and other metals are separated and recovered. These materials are then sent for further processing and recovery.
Recycling process
1. Pre-shedding decontamination
2. Shredding
3. Separation
Recovered materials
Cables
Concrete
Capacitator
Plastic
Ferrous Metal
Non-Ferrous Metal
Temperature exchange equipment /Cooling appliances
Refrigerators, freezers, automatic cold products delivery machines.
Products include fridges, freezers, and any appliances with refrigerating devices such as water coolers. Some appliances also contain refrigerant gases classified as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) that are now banned.
These gases are captured and treated in ODS recovery plants. Cold appliance de-pollution entails a variety of processes: compressors are decontaminated to recover ODS and oils; insulating foam is treated to recover ODS; metals are salvaged and resold, and plastics can be reused for new products. Recovered oils and ODS are destroyed in a specialised treatment process.
Recycling process
1. Decontamination
2. Shredding
3. Separation
4. Foam decontamination
Recovered materials
Gas
Oil
Capacitator
Plastic
Ferrous Metal
Foam
Display equipment
Televisions, screens, LCD, pc monitors
Display equipment includes cathode ray tubes (found in old-style TV sets and computer monitors) and flat-screen TVs and computer monitors, such as plasma and liquid crystal displays (LCD).
Cathode ray tubes (CRT) contain hazardous phosphor powder, leaded glass, copper, and other rare metals. These materials can be reused to make new products. Panel and funnel glass from the cathode ray tubes are also recovered. The coating on the funnel glass is removed and the glass is cleaned for new CRT manufacture.
Most LCD TVs use mercury lamps to light the screen. To remove the lamps, the appliance must be disassembled before processing the LCD screen. Research is currently being carried out to develop more effective, automated solutions.
Recycling process
1. Hand dismantling
2. Cathode ray tube separation (Pb, Ba)
3. Crushing and metal removal
4. Glass cleaning
Recovered materials
Ferrous Metal
Foam
Monitor body and electronics
Circuit Board
Leaded glass
Unleaded glass
Small Domestic Appliances
Vacuum cleaners, appliances for sewing, irons, toasters, electric knives, hairdryers, radio sets, electrical and electronic toys, luminaires;
This is the most complicated WEEE stream as a wide variety of materials can be recovered: wood, metal, plastic, glass, and cardboard.
This category includes appliances for cleaning (e.g. vacuum cleaners, carpet sweepers, etc.), appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing for textiles, irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing, toasters, fryers, grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages, electric knives, appliances for hair cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances, clocks, watches and equipment to measure, indicate or registering time, etc.
These appliances are shredded, and plastics are separated from metals. Initial decontamination includes the removal of ink toners, cartridges, batteries, and cables.
Recycling process
1. Manual pretreatment
2. Crushing
3. Picking station
4. Shredding
5. Separation
Recovered materials
Cables
Waste
Plastic
Fine materials
Ferrous Metal
Non-Ferrous Metal
Individual Components
Lamps
straight fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, low-pressure sodium lamps, LED lamps.
This category includes fluorescent tubes and low-energy light bulbs, also known as compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), while old-style filament light bulbs and halogen lights are not categorised as WEEE.
Lamps are crushed and washed or treated in pressurised containers. Specialised machines are used to remove hazardous mercury and phosphor. Then, the remaining material is sorted into glass, metals, and plastics.
Phosphor powder and recovered mercury can be re-used to make new lamps. The crushed glass can be used for furnace linings or, if pure enough, to make new lamps. Aluminium end caps are smelted, and other metals are recycled.
Recycling process
1. Shredding
2. Separation
3. Dust recovery
Recovered materials
Ferrous Metal
Non-Ferrous Metal
Mercury
PV panels
Silicon-based PV panels require normal flat glass treatment and no special removal of the semiconductor layer.
Non-silicon-based PV panels require special semiconductor removal technology and isolation of toxic heavy metals.
Recycling process
1. Remove cables, plug and semiconductor
2. Separate aluminium and glass from the PV module
3. Remove labels
4. Reuse or recycle the EVA film and recover chemical elements such as cadmium and selenium
5. Separate into fractions
(EVA film, Aluminium, Wafer, Cable and plastic plug, Semiconductor, Glass)
6. Recycle the glass fraction in a smelter
Recovered materials
Leaded glass
Individual Components
Plastic
Unleaded glass
Cables
Metal
Cadmium
IT Equipment
Computers, printers, GPS, mobile phones, routers, and mousepads
Recycling process
Weee
Weee
Weee
Recovered materials
Plastic
Lead
Cobald
Nickel
Metal
Manganese
Mercury
Acid
Zinc
Cadmium