Introduction
What are the WEEE and RoHS Directives?
How does the WEEE Directive Work?
Scope of the WEEE Directive
Registration and enforcement in the UK
Importing and exporting
Compliance Options
Treatment and recycling
Inforamtion requirements
Allocation of responsibility
Costs
What does the WEEE Directive mean for UK Manufacturers, local authorities and Retailers?
The WEEE Directive in other EU Member States
How will RoHS Work?
Scope of the RoHS Directive
Definitions
Restrictions
Testing
Industry Views
DIY Compliance Check
WEEE DIY compliance check
RoHS DIY compliance check
Actions for complying with WEEE
Actions for Complying with RoHS
Lead Free
How do I raise awareness?
Tools resources and further information


Exemptions from the RoHS Directive

In general terms, the RoHS Directive does not apply to:

  • Large-scale stationary industrial tools. This is a machine or system consisting of a combination of equipment, systems or finished products and or components each of which is designed to be used in industry only, permanently fixed and installed by professionals at a given place in an industrial machinery or in an industrial building to perform a specific task.

  • Spare parts for the repair of EEE placed on the market before 1st July 2006 and to replacement components that expand the capacity of and/or upgrade EEE placed on the market before 1st July 2006.

  • The reuse of EEE placed on the market before 1st July 2006.

  • The specific applications of mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent chromium set out in Schedule 2 of the Regulations.

The following specific exemptions to the RoHS Directive currently exist:

  • Mercury in compact fluorescent lamps not exceeding 5mg per lamp.

  • Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for general purposes not exceeding:
 
  • Halophosphate 10mg.

  • Triphosphate with normal lifetime 5mg.

  • Triphosphate with long lifetime 8mg.
  • Mercury in straight fluorescent lamps for special purposes.

  • Mercury in other lamps not specifically mentioned in Annex 2 of the RoHS Directive.

  • Lead in glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components and fluorescent tubes.

  • Lead as an alloying element in steel containing up to 0.35% lead by weight, aluminium containing up to 0.4% lead by weight and as a copper alloy containing up to 4% lead by weight.

  • Lead in solders of a high melting temperature type (i.e. tin-lead solder alloys containing more than 85% lead), as well as:
 
  • Lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems, network infrastructure equipment for switching, signalling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunications.

  • Lead used in compliant pin connector systems.

  • Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices).

  • Cadmium and its compounds in electrical contacts and cadmium plating except for applications banned under Directive 91/338/EEC amending Directive 76/769/EEC relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations.

  • Lead as a coating material for the thermal conduction module c-ring.

  • Lead and cadmium in optical and filter glass.

  • Lead in solders consisting of more than two elements for the connection between the pins and the package of microprocessors with a lead content of more than 80% and less than 85% by weight.

  • Lead in solders to complete a viable electrical connection between semiconductor die and carrier within integrated circuit Flip Chip packages.

  • Lead in linear incandescent lamps with silicate coated tubes.

  • Lead halide as radiant agent in High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps used for professional reprography applications.

  • Lead as activator in the fluorescent powder (1% lead by weight or less) of discharge lamps when used as sun tanning lamps containing phosphors such as BSP (BaSi2O5:Pb) as well as when used as speciality lamps for diazo-printing reprography, lithography, insect traps, photochemical and curing processes containing phosphors such as SMS ((Sr,Ba)2MgSi2O7:Pb).

  • Lead with PbBiSn-Hg and PbInSn-Hg in specific compositions as main amalgam and with PbSn-Hg as auxiliary amalgam in very compact Energy Saving Lamps (ESL).

  • Lead oxide in glass used for bonding front and rear substrates of flat fluorescent lamps used for Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD).

  • Hexavalent chromium as an anti-corrosion coating for carbon steel cooling systems in absorption refrigerators.

Other possible exemptions will be considered and reviewed as necessary — visit the EU’s Europa website for the latest information on this.