Hello
I operate an industrial surplus reuse store site called reusestore.com. We deal with a lot of older obsolete parts. I also run a company called Green Planet Solutions inc. We specialize in WEEE and RoHS directives and engineering support.
One of the reasons why I wanted to write in this message board is to share some information with every one as are part of the data collection on what we are seeing and some thing to think about.
When RoHS and WEE were first introduced to our clients here in the US we saw a tendency to have a knee jerk reaction. Some clients wanted to buy up as many old leaded parts as they could while they tried to cross over to totally lead free products and processes.
While this can be a good plan it can damage you greatly also.
One of the first problems, among hundreds of others, is that when you buy up older leaded components you have no idea if your states local EPA laws will be changed and effect the use of your now thousands of dollars worth of store leaded components.
Take for instance California EPA local prop 65. Certain fire retardants that are found in some electronic component packages are now deemed illegal for use in this state.
Others like cadmium, among other materials, are not only restricted from use in the EU, but now the US is starting to adopt the EU RoHS regulations.
Most components that are not RoHS compliant will not be able to be sold into the market in new products.
Most of our stock in our reusestore.com is only slated to be used as replacement parts for products put on to the market before Jan 2006.
In most cases we research the components to see if they are higher in the levels and then we send them to the proper recycling channels.
My worry I think here is, that in most cases, companies are putting off this effort to change over to RoHS compliancy until the very last moment where they could get caught in the local EPA laws cross fire.
What do you think?
Mike Dolbow