BRUSSELS, Belgium — Implementation of the European Union's (EU's) Waste Electrical and Electronic (WEEE) legislation began July 1, more than a year past the original date this recycling bill was expected to go into effect.

As WEEE dictates that manufacturers and distributors of electrical and electronic products assume financial and logistic responsibility for proper disposal and recycling of electronic components, corporations and EU-affiliated governments have devised recycling programs and enforcement schemes, which are now expected to be operational.

Official WEEE implementation follows one year after the official EU RoHS implementation date requiring most electronic assemblies sold in the EU to be lead-free and avoid five other hazardous substances. Both directives require increased materials reporting and revamped supply chain management to include materials documentation and screening along with end-of-life (EOL) management. For more information on the WEEE directive, see WEEE Comes Full Circle, and VCA Will Enforce WEEE in U.K. Also read Environmentally Conscious Technologies: Does Green Equal Competitive Advantage? in SMT's June issue.