Greentech Lead U.K: Global Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling market was estimated at $1,424.6
million in 2011, and it is expected to grow to $1,869.3
million in 2017 with a strong CAGR of 4 percent, says Frost &
Sullivan.
Frost & Sullivan’s report, “Global Opportunities
in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Recycling Services
Market,” identifies e-waste as one of the fastest growing sectors by
volume within the global waste industry.
The WEEE recycling services market depends on legislation
to act as the prime move for market momentum. It is therefore, no surprise that
Europe is the leading region globally owing to the power of the WEEE
Directive and the presence of leading companies offering recycling expertise,
the research agency said.
EU Directives on WEEE, ROHS, and Eco-design have a
definitive deadline and there have been serious attempts made by individual
member states to adhere to these deadlines as well as establish local systems
and procedures to meet the provisions as per legislation.
WEEE Directive requires all member countries to recover
45 tons of e-waste for every 100 tons of e-goods sold by 2016, with
the recovery target increasing to 65 percent of sales by 2019 or 85 percent of
all waste generated. The new member countries have an extended deadline of
2021.
The revised WEEE Directive has included of solar panels,
fluorescent lighting that has mercury and appliances that contains ozone
depleting substances.
However, the global economic slowdown affected the WEEE
recycling market in as much as the prices of steel and plastics, for example,
went on a steady decline, as did tonnages of e-waste in the market. As a
euro-centric market, growth rates were severely impacted as key regions
in Western Europe remained stable and it is only now that the market
has come back to the growth mode.
WEEE market is forecasted grow stronger in North
America, which is expected to grow aggressively to combat increasing waste
volumes. Market momentum is maintained by a fast growth in e-waste volumes,
which are required to be appropriately managed as per evolving legislative
targets.
Frost & Sullivan thinks that weak legislation is one
of the key factors that may pose a threat to this growing market.
“One of the main reasons that the WEEE Directive has
not met with unqualified success despite the significant amount of support it
has received is the ineffective implementation of legislation,” said Waste
to Resource analysts at Frost & Sullivan. “Some of the key countries
such as the United Kingdom, for instance, have had significant problems in
its implementation in the first place due to the difficulty in assigning
‘producer responsibility’ as stipulated by the legislation.”
E-waste
generation in India 2012 to reach 1.2 million tons by 2020
According to the latest “E-Waste Management Industry
In India 2012” report from Research and Markets, the strong growth in
e-waste generation in India mounts at the rate of 15 percent since 2005 to
reach 1.2 million tons by 2020.
editor@greentechlead.com