What's all the fuss about?

The upcoming EU environmental directives such as the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are significant developments in electronics legislation that will revolutionize the electrical and electronic products. Complicated exemption rules, uncertainty about how the directives will be enforced, obsolescence, and component availability has left engineers unsure about what they need to do and when. The legislation states that non-compliant components can be sold after the deadline for the purpose of repair or upgrade of equipment that has been put on the market. The nuts and bolts of any component need to comply with RoHS if the equipment that they are part of falls within the directive. Products are only WEEE if they are not reusable or not intended to be used again.