EU Commission Specifies Print Cartridges Included under WEEE-2

EU Commission has confirmed that most printer cartridges fall within the new Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive (WEEE-2), says The Recycler.

In its new draft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, EU Commission states “Printer cartridges which contain electrical parts and are dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to function properly fall within the scope of the Directiveparts and are dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to function properly fall within the scope of the Directive. Printer cartridges which merely consist of ink and a container, without electrical parts, do not fall within the scope of the Directive. ”

In April, Recycling Times reported European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association (ETIRA) and German regulator Umwdt Bunddes Amt (UBA) met at a meeting to discuss whether empties should be included under WEEE-2. ETIRA opined that including empties under the new directive will disobey EU law and many more empties will be ended in landfills, which will result in insufficient empties for remanufacturers and is bad for environment.