Lesson 1– Introduction to WEEE disassembly and recycling industry

Welcome to first lesson of our online course on the best WEEE disassembly and recycling industry from ELVs and their importance in protecting the environment by preventing and controlling the reduction of industrial waste. In this course, we will cover different policies and practices implemented in Romania to ensure a high level of protection of human and environment health.

In Romania, the National Waste Management Strategy (SNGD) by HG 870/2013 establishes the policy and strategic objectives in the field of waste management for period 2018-2025. And, GEO 5/5015 establishes the definition of WEEE as follows: “WEEE represents all equipment that operates on the basis of electric current or electromagnetic fields, but also the equipment for generating, transporting and measuring these currents and fields, which are intended for use in a voltage lower than 1000 volts alternating current and 1500 volts direct current is hereinafter referred to as Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE)”.

In other words “Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment” (WEEE, “electronic waste” or “electrical waste”) is “various forms of electrical and electronic equipment that no longer have value to their users or no longer serve their original purpose”.

This WEEE includes a whole range of devices, from mobile navigation systems and IT equipment to small equipment such as power window systems or tire pressure monitoring systems. This waste does not include car batteries, which in the EU are regulated by separate legislation.

In 1998, Romanian car manufacturers set out to increase the recycling rate for new cars to 90% from 75%. Currently, in Romania, extended producer responsibility is applied to ELV’s, but only in the individual system. The producers have chosen to establish collection networks through private contracts with authorized dismantlers, where, in accordance with the provisions of Law no. 212/2015 regarding the way of managing vehicles and end-of-life vehicles, handing them over to the ELV’s treatment facility and taking over the vehicle from the last owner.

Thus, from an end-of-life car, by recycling it to the extent of 75-90%, a series of elements can be reused, from the leather and textile materials used for upholstery, to steel present in the body. All of these are reused and reintroduced many times, also in the automotive industry. In fact, it is currently estimated that recycled metals make up about 25% of the amount needed to make a new car. So, car waste has an important role in the development of the high-performance models currently on the market.

In conclusion, the management of waste from automotive industry is essential for prevention and control of the release of toxic substances into environment, which involves the recycling and reuse of some waste (parts, metal, oils, solvents, batteries, plastic and glass). The recycling of these materials helps economic operators to address environmental concerns and solve the problem of resource depletion because these WEEEs can contain complex combinations of highly toxic substances and other important metals.

Join us in this course to learn more about the importance of WEEE from end-of-life automobiles and how it is Recovered, Reused and Recycled.