Container with discarded electrical and electronic equipment. Photo: Torgrim Asphjell (Climate and Pollution Agency)

WEEE may be delivered free of charge

According to the regulations, WEEE may be delivered free of charge to municipal waste treatment facilities or to distributors who sell similar products. Distributors are required to take back WEEE and to inform consumers that they do so. The costs of waste collection and treatment are covered by the importers and manufacturers of these products.

Producer responsibility

Proper management of WEEE is a producer responsibility, in other words the responsibility of businesses that manufacture electrical and electronic equipment or import it to Norway. Chapter 1 of the Waste Regulations, which deals with WEEE, describes how producers are to fulfil this responsibility.

The producers have set up take-back companies to manage WEEE in accordance with the regulations. In addition, an agreement has been concluded between the producers and the Ministry of the Environment under which the producers undertake to ensure that at least 80 per cent of WEEE is collected and to take steps to reduce the problems associated with WEEE.
 
The take-back companies Renas AS and Elretur AS were set up to deal with non-consumer WEEE and with electronic equipment and household appliances, respectively. Other take-back companies have been established independently of the agreement with the authorities. These include Eurovironment AS and Ragn Sells Elektronikkgjenvinning AS.
 
From 1 July 2007, take-back companies are required to have approval from the Climate and Pollution Agency. Approval is to be based on the certification scheme described in an appendix to Chapter 1 of the Waste Regulations. Every importer and producer of EEE is required to be a member of an approved take-back company.

Collection rate rising

From 1999 when the take-back system started, the collection rate of WEEE in Norway has risen, as you can see in the figure. The numbers from 1999 are from the second half of the year.

More than 138 000 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) was collected in Norway in 2010. This is about 28 kg per capita.

In 2010 there was a decrease in the collection rate for certain products from private households, such as electronic tools, computers and small electronic appliances. Such variations may occur from year to year. 

Treatment of WEEE

After collection, waste equipment is dismantled manually at special facilities. Components that contain hazardous substances are treated as hazardous waste, but as much as possible is recovered. In all, about 90 per cent of the WEEE collected is re-used, recycled or processed for energy recovery. The remaining 10 per cent is landfilled or incincerated without energy recovery.

EU rules incorporated into Norwegian legislation
In 2002, the EU adopted a new WEEE directive. Chapter 1 of Norway’s Waste Regulations incorporates its provisions. The revised regulation entered into force 1 July 2006. The most important changes are:

• the requirement for take-back companies to be approved by the Climate and Pollution Agency
• the requirement for every producer and importer to be a member of an approved take-back company
• the establishment of the WEEE Register.
  

Producer register (The WEEE Register)

The WEEE Register is a register of producers of all types of EEE, and was established on 1 July 2006. The register is to:

• contain information on EEE producers and importers  
• make it possible to identify any companies that are operating as free riders, i.e. not meeting their obligations under the Norwegian regulations
• provide information on the legislation and what producers and importers must do to comply with the rules
• collect and collate data from the take-back companies on the take-back of WEEE.