Delegates of the 11th IERC Gather in Salzburg, Austria

The 11th International Electronics Recycling Congress (IERC 2012), organized by Swiss company ICM AG, took place in Salzburg, Austria from Jan. 18-20, 2012, and attracted a record attendance of more than 475 delegates from 35 countries, according to show organizers. In addition, the event drew 56 exhibitors to the parallel trade show, including equipment manufacturers and service providers. 

 

A few days after the meeting, the European Parliament voted to revise the EU’s Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Higher collection rates and prevention of illegal exports are among the main thrusts of the new policy document. 

 

Julio Garcia Burgues, director of the waste Management Unit of the European Commission, addressed the topic of creating a recycling society within Europe, and called the recast of the WEEE Directive, “a true milestone in our road to an efficient Recycling Society.” 

 

Burgues said, “Today, Europe faces a dual challenge: first, stimulating the growth needed to provide jobs and well-being to citizens; secondly, ensuring that growth leads to a sustainable future. To tackle these challenges and turn them into opportunities, our economy will require a fundamental transformation within one generation.”

 

Each year in the EU, some 2.7 billion metric tons of waste is thrown away. On average, only 40 percent of municipal waste is reused or recycled; the rest goes to landfill or incineration. According to a study published in mid-January by the European Commission, full implementation of EU waste legislation would save €72 billion per year (US$ 93.7 billion) and create more than 400,000 jobs by the year 2020. E-scrap generation in the EU is expected to increase by roughly 11 percent between 2008 and 2014. 

 

The new version of the WEEE Directive demands that all EU member states increase their collection of electronics, regardless of whether they already meet the current flat-rate target of 4 kg per person per year. By 2016, most will have to collect 45 metric tons of e-scrap for every 100 metric tons of e-goods put on the market three years previously. By 2019, this must rise to a rate of 65 percent, or alternatively they can collect a comparable figure of 85 percent of e-waste generated.

 

The 12th International Electronics Recycling Congress IERC 2013 will take place Jan. 16-18, 2013, in Salzburg, Austria.