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Waste management
Final report prepared by Hyder Consulting, September 2007
In 2002, the European Union (EU) issued its RoHS Directive to come into force on 1 July 2006. The EU RoHS directive banned the placing on the EU market of new electronic products (e.g. televisions, computers, mobile phones etc) which contain more than agreed levels of six hazardous substances - cadmium, chromium (VI), lead, mercury and the brominated flame retardants: polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).
The Australian Government, on behalf of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council, undertook an investigation of the impact to Australia of introducing equivalent mechanisms as those adopted by the EU. This preliminary report identifies and assesses a range of RoHS issues for Australia. It will be used to inform discussion on the appropriate way forward for Australia to harmonise with the RoHS Directive.
The report is based on three 'possible' policy options identified by stakeholders – no government intervention, voluntary action facilitated by an industry code of practice supported by government regulation and a fully mandated approach. The report also incorporates the latest national studies on Brominated Flame Retardants that are covered by the EU RoHS Directive.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Australian Government does not accept liability for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.
Product stewardship is an approach in which all aspects of the product's life cycle, from production through distribution to consumption and waste, are subject to environmental management and stakeholder responsibility. The principle of product stewardship seeks to implement environmental management policies that focus on the product throughout its life, rather than on component materials or a single stage of the product life cycle.
Electrical and Electronic Products constitute a significant element of Australia's material consumption, domestic environmental impact and waste to landfill.
Consumer electrical products are a major element of this impact. There are approximately 45 million major appliances (whitegoods, stoves etc), 9 million computers, 5 million printers and 2 million scanners in households and businesses across Australia.
Nearly 1 million computers (expected to rise to 1.6 million in 2006) are being sent to landfill each year and 2.5 million major appliances are being discarded each year. The vast majority of equipment is discarded to landfill. Some metals are recovered from major appliances, but the remaining hazardous and other materials (including lead, mercury and phosphors) are landfilled as intact product or "shredder flock". These waste volumes are increasing with shorter life spans of product and increasing ownership of electrical products.
The manufacture, use and disposal of electrical and electronic equipment purchased by Australians is estimated to account for over 42 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year.
Internationally, programs are being developed or implemented to reduce the environmental impact of electrical and electronic products. The European Union, Canada, and the United States of America are all considering a range of mechanisms to address this issue. Other countries such as Japan have already implemented legislation requiring the recovery and recycling of refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and televisions.
In Australia, the peak electrical and electronic industry associations - Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (AEEMA), Consumer Electronic Suppliers Association (CESA), Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) - are developing voluntary product stewardship initiatives.
The Australian, State and Territory Governments are working with industry through the Environment Protection and Heritage Council's Waste Working Group.
The current priorities are to develop product stewardship schemes for televisions and computers. These products have been identified because they commonly both include a very problematic component, the cathode ray tube monitor, which contains large quantities of lead. Once schemes have been developed for these products, these may serve as models for a broader range of products.
In 2004 the television industry requested governments to investigate the development of a regulatory 'safety net' to protect participants in their proposed voluntary product stewardship scheme from competitive disadvantage. In December 2004, Environment Ministers, working together through the Environment Protection and Heritage Council, responded by releasing a discussion paper titled Co-Regulatory Frameworks for Product Stewardship . Organisations and individuals were requested to provide comment by 25 February 2005. This feedback will inform future work on co-regulation for product stewardship.
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, in consultation with industry, States and Territories has funded several consultancies exploring related issues in greater detail.
Further information on this work can be obtained from :
Josephine Townsend
Tel: 61 2 6274 2653
Email: Josephine.Townsend@environment.gov.au
The views and opinions expressed in these publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Australian Government does not accept liability for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.