The last few years have seen an increase in state, national and international government legislation aimed at minimizing global environmental impacts through product design and disposal.

Important legislative developments include, but are not limited to the following:

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive: a European directive adopted in 2002 imposing financial responsibility for recycling and final disposal of electrical goods onto producers. The directive is also applicable to imported goods and has begun to take hold in US-based companies.

RoHS Directive: A European directive adopted in 2002 banning the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls or polybrominated dipyenyl ethers in electrical equipment beginning July 1, 2006. Primarily designed to reduce environmental and health impacts of disposal, this legislation will also help to reduce occupational exposure to hazardous substances in factories.

EC Draft Directive for Energy Using Products (EUP): This is designed to reduce the impacts on the environment associated with the production, use and disposal of energy using equipment. Products have to be evaluated against certain environmental standards prior to coming onto the EU market.

General: An increasing number of state and local governments are considering options for managing end-of-life electronic equipment such as televisions and personal computers. The concern is that with the continued growth of this waste stream, the potential for hazardous constituents in these products to cause disposal problems is great, and the desire to recover valuable materials from these products will not be promoted. In fact, more than two dozen e-waste bills are under consideration by various US state legislatures.

For more information log on to
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/epr/products

BCD Electro works with a number of governmental agencies and organizations to ensure recycling standards are met and maintained. Through our participation in various industry organizations, we are able to maintain the integrity of our technology lifecycle management programs. BCD Electro is an active member of the following organizations: AEA, NEDA, IAER, EPA Committee on Electronics Recycling, and Broker Forum.