| RoHs
The R estriction o f H azardous S ubstances is a directive from the European Union (EU) and bans the use of certain substances used in the making of certain electrical and electronic equipment after July 2006. There are six major substances on the list; lead, cadmium, mercury, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB's), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE's), and hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)).
This directive stems from the impact these substances have to humans and the environment from both the extraction of the raw materials and their eventual disposal as well as occupational exposure and exposure following disposal. In Europe, over 90% of electrical/electronic equipment goes into landfill sites, which amounts to about 6 million tons of waste every year. Removal of these substances will reduce both health risks and damage to the environment.
Casella and RoHs
Products manufactured by Casella are classified under Category 9, ”Monitoring and control instruments“ as per Annex IA of the WEEE directive and as such are exempt from the requirements of RoHs.
As an Environmental company, Casella are committed to minimising the full life cycle impact of its products and actions on the environment.
Although Casella Products are exempt, we are committed to working towards the directive and as such are actively involved in a program to work towards our core product ranges being fully compliant to the demands of the RoHs directive by 2010. If the scope of the directive changes during this period then we will revise our strategy to ensure that we fully comply with the directive at all times.
WEEE Directive – The legislation
The WEEE Directive aims to raise the level of recycling of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and encourages designers to create products with recycling in mind. Potentially, a key part of this directive is to make manufacturers and importers ("producers") of EEE responsible for meeting the costs of the collection, treatment and recovery of WEEE.
The RoHs directive supports this by reducing the amount of hazardous chemicals used in production. This reduces the risk of exposure to recycling staff, means that less special handling is required and lowers recycling costs.
Casella and WEEE – Recycling
All electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) placed on the European market after 13 August 2005 is subject to the requirements of the WEEE directive. Such equipment may be identified by either the date coding within serial number (first three digits are MMY where MM is month 1 to 12 and Y is year 6 = 2006 etc) or the WEEE ‘Wheelie bin' logo as shown below. (Note - Bar underneath).
At the time of writing, there are still many details and practical aspects of the WEEE directive which are still evolving. Many European Government bodies are still finalising the guidelines for WEEE compliance. |
