Europe — Vehicles
EU End-of-Life Vehicle Directive
In September of 2000, the EU adopted the End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive, which establishes producer responsibility for the management of ELVs, sets increased recycling requirements and calls for the phase out of certain heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium).
Key Components of ELV Directive
- As of July 2002 automakers are responsible for covering the recycling costs of all vehicles distributed on the market. Automakers will not be responsible until January 2007 for the costs of recycling cars put on the market before July 2002.
- As of July 2003 (with some exemptions), specified heavy metals must be phased out of the vehicles.
- As of January 2006, reuse and recovery of end-of-life vehicles must be 85% by weight, and recycling and reuse must be 80% by weight.
- As of January of 2015, the reuse and recovery rate must be increased to 95% by weight and the recycling and reuse must be 85% by weight.
Now the EU Directive awaits implementation by member countries, although Sweden already had its own national policy prior to the EU directive.
Sweden
In 1975 Sweden enacted a deposit-refund program for end-of-life vehicles to provide consumers with an incentive to properly dispose of their vehicles instead of abandoning them along roadsides. Furthermore, Sweden wanted to enforce better environmental management practices at contaminated scrap yards. The program ensured that vehicles made it to scrap yards, but did not influence upfront design changes that would make the vehicles cleaner at the end-of-life.
In 1997 Sweden replaced the deposit-refund system with the Ordinance on Producer Responsibility . In accordance to this Ordinance, manufacturers were financially responsible for the disposal of all end-of-life vehicles registered after December 31, 1997, and consumers did not have to pay for waste management of end-of-life cars. Manufacturers also were required to meet reuse and recycling targets — 85% by weight by 2002, and 95% by weight by 2012. To comply with the EU End-of-Life Vehicle Directive, Sweden amended its Ordinance in 2000.
To find out more information about implementation of EPR for vehicles in the United States, please visit the Clean Car Campaign’s website: www.cleancarcampaign.org
