Don't get locked out of Europe

Governments are beginning to limit the waste and pollution generated by electronic equipment. TUV Rheinland of North America The European Union is taking one of the first steps with its Waste of Electrical & Electronic Equipment initiative (WEEE) going into effect August 13. Then the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) initiative becomes active July 1 of 2006. For companies exporting products for sale or use in an EC country, these initiatives are mandatory. Those that don't comply will be shut out of one of the world's largest markets at a time when a weakened dollar has already led numerous companies to view the EC as means of increasing profits. By 2010, it's predicted 12 million tons of burnt-out and broken electronic devices will be tossed into the world's land fills every year. To head-off that prediction, WEEE mandates recycling all electronic waste. Items regulated by WEEE fall under 10 broad-based categories: large household appliances, small household appliances, IT and telecommunications gear, consumer equipment, lighting, electric tools, toys and leisure and sports equipment, medical devices, monitoring and control instruments, and automatic dispensers. Virtually anything controlled by less than 1,000 Vac or 1,500 Vdc that isn't an industrial tool or an implanted medical device falls under WEEE. European planners envision consumers and companies placing used equipment in recycling bins or returning it to the point of purchase. It will then be hauled to a centralized recycling facility for sorting and distribution back to the original manufacturer. The bad news for companies is that under WEEE, producers pay recycling costs. This means that either component manufacturers or manufacturers of the finished item must indicate what must happen to their product when a consumer returns it. For example, when a computer needs to be recycled, there are two possible scenarios once the PC hits the