Vehicle Recovery [EU]
The reusing, recycling and recovering of motor vehicles
Vehicle manufacturers must henceforth comply with minimum thresholds for the re-use, recycling and recovery of the component parts and materials of new vehicles. The aim is to ensure that vehicles are designed so as to facilitate processing at the end of their life cycle.
Directive 2005/64/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2005 on the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to their re-usability, recyclability and recoverability and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC.
The Directive helps facilitate the recycling and recovery of component parts of end-of-life vehicles by obliging manufacturers to incorporate recycling from the vehicle design stage onwards. Manufacturers must design vehicles from the viewpoint of dismantling and recycling them, for example by using a large proportion of materials which are potentially able to be recycled and recovered.
The Directive follows on from Directive 2000/53/EC, the objective of which is to eliminate waste from end-of-life motor vehicles by promoting the re-use, recycling and recovery of their components. Every year end-of life vehicles in the European Union generate between 8 and 9 million tonnes of waste, which must be managed actively.
Category of vehicles
The provisions of this new Directive apply to cars, station wagons and people carriers (category M1 vehicles) and to light-duty trucks (category N1 vehicles), new models and models already in production in accordance with a timetable set out in the Directive.
The new Directive does not apply, however, to special purpose vehicles (armoured vehicles, ambulances, etc.), to multi-stage built light-duty vehicles (provided that the base vehicle complies with this Directive), or to vehicles produced in small series (fewer than 500 vehicles a year in each Member State).
Minimum thresholds for recycling and recovery
In accordance with Directive 2005/64/EC, vehicles may be put on the market only if they are re-usable and/or recyclable to a minimum of 85% by mass or are re-usable and/or recoverable to a minimum of 95% by mass. The minimum thresholds for the recycling and recovery of components (new and used) and materials for new vehicles were set in Article 7(4) of Directive 2000/53/EC. Checks on components and materials are based on standard ISO 22628: 2002 developed by the International Standards Organisation.
Re-use of components
The Directive bans the re-use of some component parts, which it lists, in the construction of new vehicles. The re-use of these components in another vehicle after they have been dismantled from end-of-life vehicles presents serious risks to road safety and environmental protection. The aim is therefore to ensure that re-used component parts continue to offer the same level of performance as is required to obtain type-approval.
Certificate of compliance
The manufacturer must put in place satisfactory arrangements and procedures in order to obtain the certificate of compliance detailed in Annex IV to Directive 2005/64/CE. In particular, it must ensure that materials and parts do not contain any lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium (with the exception of the cases listed in Annex II to Directive 2000/53/EC). Furthermore, it must manage the re-use, the recycling and the recovery of materials and parts in accordance with this Directive.
Member States appoint a competent organisation responsible for carrying out the preliminary assessment of the manufacturer and granting the certificate of compliance. The certificate shall be valid for two years from the date of deliverance of the certificate before new checks shall be conducted. The manufacturer shall inform the competent body of any significant change that could affect the relevance of the certificate of compliance.
Timetable
The provisions of this Directive will apply from 15 December 2008 to new types of vehicles put on the market, and from 15 July 2010 for models already in production.
References
| Act | Entry into force | Deadline for transposition in the Member States | Official Journal |
| Directive 2005/64/EC | 15.12.2005 | 15.12.2006 | OJ L 310 of 25.11.2005 |