Article preview from "The Gray Sheet"- August 20, 2012
The recycling targets are likely manageable for companies who contract with established “compliance schemes,” says a Eucomed consultant. But the shipping requirements might be a burden, industry says.
A revision of the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive
took effect last week, setting recovery and recycling targets as well as new shipping requirements for manufacturers selling non-implantable, electronic medical devices in the region.
But an EU medical device expert claims most device companies won’t directly feel the brunt of the new collection requirements if they contract with established services in the EU, known as “compliance schemes,” to dispose of their electronic and electrical equipment.
The stated purpose of the directive is to “protect the environment and human health by preventing or reducing the adverse impacts of the generation and management of waste from electrical and electronic equipment and by reducing overall impacts of resource use and improving the efficiency of such use.”
As of Aug. 13, the law requires EU member states to recover 70% and recycle 50% of all medical device electrical and electronic equipment sold in their state. The rates will then increase to 75% and 55%, respectively, by Aug. 15, 2015.
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