Legislation & authorities

Through various directives, the EU has imposed conditions on its member states and set targets for the collection, processing and recycling of e-waste, in order to protect both people and the environment. These European directives have since been converted into national legislation. In Belgium, the three regions  are responsible for implementing these rules. Because manufacturers and importers of electronics and light bulbs operate at Belgian level, in some cases across all three regions, it was a logical step to introduce a single, uniform take-back system for the whole country. In 2001, Recupel vzw was established to take over some of the obligations with regards to extended manufacturer responsibility from those who joined the collective system. The signing of ‘environmental policy agreements’ or ‘acceptance obligation covenants’ between the industry and the regional authorities has helped to determine Recupel's concrete tasks.

You can consult the relevant EU and regional legislation here.

Members of Recupel (producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment, as well as lamps, can count on professional support to efficiently follow the current regulation.

 

Becoming a Recupel member: why and how ?

Afvalverwerkers

The role of the authorities

As a not-for-profit association, Recupel is legally independent of the government but works closely with all the authorities in our country. The collection and processing system has been designed by mutual agreement. The three regional authorities monitor the system in order to guarantee the quality of its implementation. Their involvement is illustrated by the examples below:

  • They are observers in the governing body and General Assembly of Recupel.
  • They approve the calculation of the Recupel contribution and are involved in the allocation of contracts for transport and treatment and contracts for collectors and processors.
  • They provide advice on Recupel's communication campaigns.
  • They are actively involved in all major decisions: approval of the annual budget and year-end closing, new contributions, implementation plan, yearly strategic exercise, long-term management and financing plan.
  • Periodic consultation on the reuse approach and the approach regarding the 'free riders', the importers and producers who are neither members of Recupel nor have shared an individual plan.
  • Bimonthly inter-regional consultations on operational functioning.