WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Forum, the international association of Producer Responsibility OrganiZations (PROs), which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary continues to expand its membership across the world and announced reaching the landmark of 50 members spread over 33 countries on 6 continents. In its mission to facilitate taking on the worldwide societal challenge of electronic waste through projects, alliances and exchange of best practices among organizations across the WEEE value chain, this significant step illustrates the global influence of the know-how the WEEE Forum embodies.
E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, expected to exceed 74 million tonnes (Mt) globally in 2030, according to the UN. An increasing number of countries are adopting or implementing e-waste specific legislation based on the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle. This results in a growing number of EPR schemes and expands the WEEE Forum’s knowledge base with new PROs joining from all around the globe and bringing their local experience.
Pascal Leroy, director general of the WEEE Forum, said, “We are very pleased to see PROs from more and more countries tapping into the knowledge and know-how of their peers. Europe leads the way in e-waste collection with 54 percent of it being formally reported as properly recycled, but we also see many innovative approaches in emerging economies and are proud to serve as a platform to exchange best practice with new members to ensure the e-waste issue is tackled properly across the world”.
Joining the conversation this year are four not-for-profit producer responsibility organizations from Canada, South Africa and Slovakia.
Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association (CESA) leads the industry members whose products are stipulated in the regulations. By operating as a single organization, CESA allows for an efficient approach to recycling, keeping fees low and making it easier for consumers to return their electricals for recycling.
Circular Energy is based in South Africa and the objective of Circular Energy to assist its members of the scheme, in their capacity as producers, to meet their obligations under the EPR Regulations, by operating a compliance scheme for the storage, collection, treatment and recovery of WEEE, batteries and packaging, and reporting as part of the regulatory requirements.
GoRecycle represents over 170 members, mainly retailers, distributors and manufacturers affected by the EPR regulation in the region of Québec, Canada.
Envidom is an association founded by large producers of white goods and represents over 290 producers/importers of electrical and electronic equipment in Slovakia with the aim fulfilling responsibilities for their e-waste.
As published in June 2023 issue of American Recycler.
