These pages provide information on good practice guidance/advice and standards for managing and handling waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
This information should be used by any organisation collecting, transporting, storing or handling WEEE.
A number of good practice guidelines, standards and accreditation schemes have been reviewed for their applicability to New Zealand. They can be classified into two types.
- Good practice guidelines and advice – provide specific advice to a particular sector and are detailed about how to design and operate to meet customer or legal requirements.
- Standards tend to be stricter standards, which a company must be able to prove it meets through its operational processes.
Table 12 summarises the good practice guidelines and advice and standards reviewed.
| Organisation | Name of publication | Summary | Waste | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good practice guidelines and advice | ||||
| Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, UK (formerly Department of Trade and Industry) | Code of Practice for Collection of WEEE from Designated Collection Facilities | Guidance and principles which should form the basis for local contracts or service agreements between producers, local authorities and independent persons running designated collection facilities. | All WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.dti.gov.uk | ||||
| Defra, UK | Guidance on Best Available Treatment Recovery and Recycling Techniques and Treatment of WEEE | Guidance specific to the UK on the WEEE licensing regulations and treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE at authorised treatment facilities. | All WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.defra.gov.uk | ||||
| United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) | E-waste Volume I: Inventory Assessment Manual | Guidance to support the production of WEEE inventories and assessment of risks. | All WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/spc/EWasteManual_Vol1.pdf | ||||
| United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) | E-waste Volume II: E-waste Management Manual | Guidance to support developing and implementing WEEE management systems. | All WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/spc/EWasteManual_Vol2.pdf | ||||
| Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), UK | Good practice collection and treatment guidelines for electrical and electronic products | Online good practice collection and treatment guidelines for electrical and electronic products. Aimed at those involved in the WEEE collection and treatment chain. It covers good practice options for all stages of the recycling chain from point of disposal through to the production of resultant material streams. | All WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.wrap.org.uk | ||||
| United States EPA, USA | Plug Into e-Cycling: Guidelines for Material Management | Guidelines for end-of-life electronics recycling specifically for the Plug into e-Cycling campaign. Guidance covers:
| All WEEE as part of a specific scheme | |
| Available from: http://www.epa.gov | ||||
| Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand | Guidance Principles: Best Practice for Recycling and Waste Management Contracts | Practical advice and tools to consider and use when buying waste management and recycling services, primarily for local government contracts. It includes advice on collection options and health and safety. | All wastes | |
| Available from: Ministry for the Environment website | ||||
| OECD | Core Performance Elements of the Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of Wastes | General requirements for transporting, storing, treating and disposing of residues for the environmentally sound management of recoverable wastes. | All wastes | |
| Available from: http://www.oecd.org/environment/waste/39559085.pdf | ||||
| Auckland Regional Council/Scrap Metal Recycling Association, New Zealand | Pollution Prevention: Guide for Scrap Metal Processing Industries in the Auckland Region | Detailed guidance for the scrap metal industry on pollution risks and contaminants from typical scrap metal yard operations, and how to manage these. | Scrap | |
| Contact the Scrap Metal Recycling Association of New Zealand for more information | ||||
| Furniture Re-use Network, UK | Fit for Reuse | Guide to the repair, refurbishment and reuse of domestic electrical appliances. It covers all aspects of operation, including:
This guidance has been used as the basis for developing a Kitemark for the sector. | Whiteware, but applicable to all refurbishment operations | |
| Available from: http://www.frn.org.uk/documents/fit%20for%20re-use.pdf[PDF, 835 KB] | ||||
| Resource Futures (formerly known as SWAP), UK | REI Guide to Legal Compliance and WEEE Directive Accreditation | Guidance to members of a computer refurbishment network (REI). The guide sets out minimum standards to meet the REI’s own code of conduct and to meet Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling accreditation for refurbishers. | Information technology | |
| Contact: Pete.stevens@resource-futures.co.uk for details | ||||
| Maine Government, USA | Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of TVs and Computer Monitors | Comprehensive guidelines for recycling and dismantling facilities engaged in handling, processing, refurbishment and recycling of TVs and computer monitors. | Information technology | |
| Available from: http://www.maine.gov | ||||
| OECD | Technical Guidance for the Environmentally Sound Management of Specific Waste Streams: Used and Scrap Personal Computers | Detailed technical guidance which looks at issues of concern and gives guidance on the treatment of specific components. It has been used as the basis for many of the standards in this table. | Information and communications technology | |
| Available from: http://www.oecd.org/env/waste/ | ||||
| Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) Supply Chain Working Group and the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct (EICC) Implementation Group | The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire | A tool for ICT companies to better understand the practices of their suppliers and to identify potential risks or performance gaps. | Information and communications technology | |
| Available from: http://www.gesi.org | ||||
| Australasian Cartridge Remanufacturers Association (ACRA) | Code of Practice and Code of Ethics | Covers compliance with legislation, product warranties, compliance with industry standards and procedures. | Toner cartridges | |
| Available from: http://www.xdi.co/default.aspx/code-of-conduct.aspx | ||||
| International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) USA | Environmentally Sound Management of Mobile Phones | Guidance developed between the Basel Convention and a collaboration of leading mobile phone manufacturers to develop and promote the environmentally sound management of end-of-life mobile phones. It includes guidance on environmentally sound practices for recycling and recovery. | Mobile phones | |
| Available from: http://www.ipmi.org | ||||
| Standards | ||||
| International Organisation for Standardisation | ISO 14001 | International Standards Association standards for environment, quality and health and safety. | General | |
| Further information: https://www.iso.org/iso-14001-environmental-management.html https://www.iso.org/standard/46486.html
| ||||
| Furniture Re-use Network Enterprises Ltd, UK | FRN Kitemark for Refurbishers (Reuse) | Audit procedures for EEE/WEEE reuse organisations.
| All WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.frn.org.uk/documents/fit%20for%20re-use.pdf [PDF, 835 KB] | ||||
| Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling, UK | ICER Accreditation Scheme | Accreditation scheme for refurbishers and recyclers. | All WEEE | |
| Further information: http://www.icer.org.uk | ||||
| International Association of Electronics Recyclers | IAER Certification Standard | A certification programme with minimum requirements for electronic recycling companies. It covers:
It is designed to be implemented by small or medium enterprises. | All WEEE | |
| Further information: http://www.iaer.org/communications/certification.htm | ||||
| Electronics Product Stewardship Canada, Canada | Electronics Recycling Standard | A comprehensive recycling standard for end-of-life electronic equipment. It is divided into two parts:
It deals with health, safety and environment issues, documentation, materials separation and processing, and hazardous materials. | All WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.epsc.ca | ||||
| Basel Action Network, international | Electronic Recyclers’ Pledge of True Stewardship | A pledge for electronics recyclers covering:
| All hazardous WEEE | |
| Available from: http://www.ban.org | ||||
| Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc, USA | RIOS Quality Environmental Health and Safety | A system designed to help scrap recycling companies manage the quality, environmental health and safety issues. | Scrap | |
| Further information: http://www.isri.org/ | ||||
| RAL, EU | RAL Quality Mark for the Demanufacture of Refrigerants | Quality Mark ‘Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment Containing CFCs’. | Whiteware | |
| Further information: http://www.ral-online.org | ||||
| Computer Access NZ (CANZ), New Zealand | National Computer Recyclers’ Code of Practice | A code of practice for organisations operating the CANZ schemes for refurbishment of equipment. | Information technology | |
| Available from: http://www.canz.org.nz | ||||
| Hewlett Packard | HP Vendor Requirements for Hardware Recycling | Contractual requirements for operators undertaking recycling for Hewlett Packard, including the use of subcontractors’ audits, and products and materials tracing and accountability, plus approved depositions for certain items. | Information technology | |
| Further information: http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/recycle/finalrecstds.pdf | ||||
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Overview of other WEEE good practice guidance/advice and standards
March 2021
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