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News Briefs:

New EU adds eight new substances to the REACH candidate list June 2010

New California updates Prop 65 chemical list April 2010

New JIG-101 edition 3.0 released March 2010

New IPC issues new 175X family of declaration standards February 2010

EU amends list of ELV exemptions February 2010

CPSIA issues new timeline for testing of children's products December 2009


EU expands scope of its Ecodesign Directives to energy-related products October 2009

China proposes 'the catalog' for RoHS Phase 2 October 2009

China plans expansion of PEANCS (new chemical substances) June 2009

EU recommends first list of substances requiring authorization under REACH April 2009

California approves the Green Chemistry Initiative September 2008

NGO ChemSec releases 'SIN' list (Substitute It Now) September 2008

US adopts CPSIA for lead & phthalates in children's products and for lead paint August 2008

EU Court of Justice ends decaBDE exemption for RoHS April 2008


EU releases draft of proposed RoHS changes (known as RoHS2) 2008

EU considers adding medical devices and monitoring & control instruments to RoHS

EU considers adding new prohibited substances to RoHS

RoHS2 would rely upon standards developed by European standards organizations

EU releases its study on the 'simplification' of RoHS


EU releases its study of the costs and benefits of RoHS


Eight EU Member States are cited for RoHS & WEEE transposition failures

California governor vetoes bill to expand RoHS October 2007

Northeastern US states propose Model Electronic Recycling Act 


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What is ELV?  

ELV is short for End-of-Life Vehicles.

Directive 2000/53/EC - ELV
Directive 2005/64/EC - Type Approval

On September 18, 2000, the European Parliament issued a directive “on end-of-life vehicles in order to reduce the quantity of waste (including hazardous waste) that occurs when motor vehicles are junked or totaled.

Two categories of motor vehicles (4 or more wheels) must meet all provisions of the ELV directive:

  Category M1 - passenger vehicles with no more than 8 seats (not including the driver's seat)
  Category N1 - cargo vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tons

These three-wheeled vehicles must only comply with Articles 5(1),     5(2) & 6 for the collection and treatment of waste vehicles:

  Category L2e - mopeds with side cars
  Category L4e - motorcycles with side cars

Other three-wheeled motor vehicles are specifically excluded:

  Category L5e motor tricycles (three symmetrically arranged wheels)
  Motorized wheelchairs, off-road vehicles, agricultural tractors, and vehicles with a maximum design speed of 6 km/h or less

The ELV directive took effect on July 1, 2002, but vehicles put on the EU market before July 1, 2002 weren't covered until January 1, 2007.

Four heavy metals, lead, mercury, cadmium & hexavalent chromium, may not be used in M1 & N1 vehicles put on the EU market after July 1, 2003. Exemptions are granted when the use of these substances is considered unavoidable. Approved exemptions are listed in Annex II and are regularly evaluated in view of technical progress.

The maximum allowable concentration of these substances in homogeneous materials is 0.1% by weight for lead, mercury & hexavalent chromium and 0.01% by weight for cadmium. Prohibited substances may not be intentionally introduced in the manufacturing process, but the use of recycled feedstock is encouraged, even when it causes the resulting material to exceed the maximum concentration levels.

New vehicle design (M1 & N1) should include these objectives:
  Reduce the use of hazardous substances. Hazardous means substances that are explosive, oxidizing or flammable in the physical environment; or toxic, harmful, corrosive or an irritant to human health.
  Make it easier to dismantle, reuse, recycle and recover components/materials/energy from vehicles that have been junked or totaled. Reuse means vehicle components can be used again for the same purpose. Recycling means materials are reprocessed for other uses. Recovery also includes the combustion of waste materials for energy recovery.
  Increase the use of recycled materials in new vehicles.

To this end, ELV targets for reuse and recovery were set (M1 & N1 vehicles only). Producers, distributors, insurance companies, collectors and treatment operators in the EU all share responsibility for meeting these targets. Special purpose vehicles such as ambulances, campers and hearses are excluded from the targets. Passenger vehicles in limited production may also be excluded by Member States.

   Effective January 1, 2006, 80% of ELV by weight must be reused or recycled, with a total recovery of 85%.
  For vehicles produced before January 1, 1980, 70% of ELV by weight must be reused or recycled, with a total recovery of 75% (effective January 1, 2006)
  Effective January 1, 2015, 85% of ELV by weight must be reused or recycled, with a total recovery of 95%.

New vehicles must be 85% reusable or recyclable (by mass) and 95% recoverable, effective December 15, 2008, to receive type-approval in the European Union (needed before vehicles can be manufactured, imported or registered).

To facilitate the handling and treatment of ELV, manufacturers (M1 & N1 only) must publish dismantling instructions within six months of the vehicle's placement on the EU market. Passenger vehicles in limited production may be exempted from these requirements by Member States.

Required information includes the identity of vehicle components, the materials used, and the location of hazardous substances. Component and material information should be listed using ISO coding standards. Instructions for dismantling, storing and testing reusable parts must also be published.

In the European Union, vehicle manufacturers, importers, distributors, collectors, insurance companies, dismantlers, shredders, recoverers, recyclers, and other treatment operators are required to set up collection systems for end-of-life vehicles (all categories). But collection and treatment costs are paid by M1 & N1 manufacturers and importers.

ELV treatment facilities are authorized by the Member State in which they operate through one of the following methods: registration, permitting or annual inspections.

M1 and N1 vehicles in the EU must have a certificate of destruction in order to be deregistered and taken off the tax rolls. This certificate is issued when the vehicle is delivered to an authorized ELV collector for treatment. Collection and treatment must be free to the vehicle's owner.

Requirements for the storage and treatment of ELV (all categories) are outlined in Section 6 and Annex I:
  Storage and treatment facilities should not adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest, nor should they create a nuisance through noise or odor.
  The storage, treatment and disposal of ELV should not endanger human health or the environment, including the air, water, soil, plants and animals. Facilities must provide impermeable surfaces, spillage collection, decanters, cleanser-degreasers and water treatment.
  Vehicles should be stripped of spare parts that are reusable
  Vehicles should be drained of fluids (fuel; motor, transmission, gearbox & hydraulic oils; antifreeze, brake & air-conditioning fluids) for separate storage, treatment and disposal.
  Vehicles should be stripped of polluting components (batteries, filters, PCB/PCT-containing condensers, air bags & liquified gas tanks) for proper treatment and disposal.
  Components containing hazardous substances (lead, mercury, cadmium & hexavalent chromium) should be segregated so that shredder waste is not contaminated
  Vehicles should be stripped of components for recycling, such as glass, catalysts, tires, bumpers, dashboard, fluid containers.
  Vehicles should be stripped of materials for recycling such as copper, aluminum and magnesium
  Tire storage should avoid the hazards of fire and excessive stockpiling

This summary is intended to give you an easy-to-understand overview and does not constitute legal advice. The actual standard in the original language should be reviewed and used for all business, legal, and product compliance purposes.

If you need assistance in understanding or managing your IMDS reporting requirements (including IMDS managed services), we stand ready to help you. Just email us or give us a call at 972-679-8996 for a quick and personalized response.

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Quick Tutorial:

    STANDARDS:    
What are Standards?
New What is JIG-101?
New What is IPC-1752?
What is the IEC?
What is TC 111?

What is the WTO?
What is TBT?

       USA:        What is CPSIA?
CPSIA timeline
CPSIA exemptions

What is California REACH?
What is California RoHS?
What is California WEEE?

What is Proposition 65?


      EUROPE:     

What is ELV?
      ELV exemptions

What is IMDS?

What is GADSL?

Compare IMDS vs RoHS

What is EuP?
What is ErP?
What is Ecodesign?
Implement. Measures

What is
REACH?
What are SVHCs?
      Proposed SVHCs
      New Candidate list
      Priority substances
About Pre-registration

About REACH fees
What is SIN list?

What is RoHS
?
     RoHS exemptions
What is 
WEEE?
What is Due Diligence?

What is RoHS2
?
What is New Approach?
New Legislative Framework?

What is the CE Mark?
What about Packaging
?
What about Batteries?
        
      JAPAN:      
Design for Environment
What is Japan RoHS?
What is J-Moss?

      CHINA:      
What is China REACH?
What is China RoHS?
      Phase 1
      Phase 2
What is Clean Production?

        
      KOREA:      
What is Korea RoHS?
What is EPR System?

    HYPERLINKS:   
red hyperlinks are links to official government documents (usually in .pdf)

              
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