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ENDS Europe Daily: Germany calls for tougher rules on WEEE exports

German environment minister Norbert Röttgen has called on the EU to adopt stricter requirements for exporters in its revision of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive to prove that the material they export is not actually waste.

The call was made on Thursday as the minister unveiled a report by the Federal Environment Agency showing that 155,000 tonnes of potentially hazardous waste was exported from Germany in 2008 to destinations outside Europe.

German MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz has proposed more stringent conditions to authorise shipments outside Europe as part of the WEEE revision. Some waste is falsely declared as used but functional, says the MEP. An IMPEL report has shown large volumes of toxic waste are still being shipped illegally in the EU.

Mr Röttgen said the findings of the German study were not only concerning because of the environmental damage caused to developing countries, but also because the equipment contains valuable raw materials that Germany could recycle.

Follow-up:
Federal Environment Agency press release and an English summary of the report.