WEEE DIRECTIVE

Technological and industrial progress introduced not only new mechanisms and materials; it also introduced new types of waste. Recent decades showed elevated concerns about waste generation rates, particularly those from electrical and electronic equipment. The solution to this problem cannot be solely technological, but should also rely on integration of environmental factors into waste management culture: product design, policy design, and also re-visiting of the consumption patterns and attitudes of the consuming public. The WEEE Directive has a potential to not only deliver “direct environmental benefits” and benefits to human and animal health but also stimulate resource efficiency and contribute to sustainable development of a jurisdiction. Transposed into the UK domestic legislation the requirements of the WEEE Directive became a major mechanism regulating the management of electronic and electrical waste in the country. This book covers the complexity of multi-stakeholder dialogue between DTI, Defra, governmental and industrial actors, community representatives, business leaders, etc., initiated by WEEE Directive implementation in the UK.