RREUSE’s call for a right to reuse in the WEEE directive

As part of the ongoing revision of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive under the Circular Economy Act, RREUSE's position paper advocates for the establishment of a right to reuse in the WEEE sector. The current directive falls short in several key areas: it lacks incentives to prioritise the waste hierarchy, does not mandate funding for reuse or preparation for reuse, and has been weakly implemented across Member States. Consequently, reuse rates across the EU remain alarmingly low, at less than 2%.

To address these shortcomings, we propose a comprehensive set of measures to embed reuse more firmly within the WEEE framework:

• Set binding and separate reuse targets
• Introduce reporting requirements that support reuse
• Prioritise reuse within Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding mechanisms
• Harmonise EPR fee calculation methodologies
• Implement ecomodulation to promote reuse-friendly designs and practices
• Mandate complementary financial incentives for reuse
• Facilitate and strengthen the role of social enterprises in the WEEE sector
• Require inclusive governance within EPR schemes
• Mandate reuse-oriented collection and sorting systems
• Enhance enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance

These recommendations aim to create a regulatory environment that genuinely supports circular economy objectives by unlocking the potential of reuse and significantly reducing electronic waste across Europe.