Where did WEEE go wrong in Europe? Practical and academic lessons for the US

Abstract

This paper links lessons drawn from the WEEE directive implementation process going on in Europe with academic lessons obtained from the TU Delft eco-efficiency studies on electronics recycling. The combination of eco-efficiency and organizational analysis is proven to be very useful for enhancing stakeholder interactions on improving end-of-life chains. From this, a roadmap is proposed for US developments, in order to prevent similar chaos as with the current EU WEEE introduction process. The key issues for setting up take-back systems for discarded consumer electronics are addressed: How to organize take-back and recycling in an eco-efficient way plus how to align all stakeholder interests and positions in a practical way at the same time for the short, medium and long term?