Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Proposed RoHS Revisions to Include Medical Devices

BRUSSELS – A series of proposed revisions to ROHS and WEEE calls for a sea change in how mandatory take-back targets are set, and adds medical devices to its list of covered end-products.

The European Commission in December proposed adding two categories of equipment (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/pdf/com_2008_809.pdf), heretofore known as categories 8, medical devices, and 9, monitoring and control instruments.

The RoHS Directive mandates periodic EC reviews. The proposed changes are the result of stakeholder input gathered in 2007 and early 2008.

No new substances are proposed for elimination, however.

The proposed WEEE revisions would alter mandatory recycling targets to a sum equal to 65% of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market over the two previous years in each Member State. The collection target is currently 4 kg per person per year, which fails to take into consideration the variance in electronics consumption from nation to nation, the EC said.

The recycling and recovery targets of such equipment now include the reuse of whole appliances, and weight-base targets will increase by 5%. It is also proposed to set targets for the recovery of medical devices. These items were omitted from the original directive because of concerns over the reliability of lead-free solders.

Any exemptions to Categories 8 and 9 will be subject to a four-year maximum validity period, while substitutes are researched and implemented.

The EU will also take up the matter of so-called “priority” substances considered to pose environmental concerns. These chemicals are covered under the REACH Directive, and the latest proposal looks at how RoHS can better tie in with the REACH methodology.