WEEE meeting held to address data concerns

But figures sent out by the Agency last week to producer compliance schemes have now revealed a 17% higher amount of WEEE collected by schemes than last month's data indicated.

The latest change in data sees the total amount of household WEEE collected in the UK last year increased from 158,446 tonnes to 184,760 tonnes, while the total amount of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market has been reduced from 803,551 tonnes to 793,439 tonnes.

While the exact reason for the amendment is unknown, data from one compliance scheme is thought to have had a particular impact.

The immediate effect of this latest adjustment is to increase the household WEEE obligations for PCSs, which are based on their requirements according to the market share of the producers they operate for, just weeks before they have to submit their final figures for 2007 collections on June 1.

At the same time, letsrecycle.com has learnt that the Environment Agency has warned that the final notice of obligation, previously expected by May 1, could now not be released until May 6.

Disquiet

With the latest set of data meaning that schemes will have to source additional evidence to meet their obligations, the heads of some of the UK's largest PCSs have expressed their disquiet at the ever-changing situation.

Scott Butler, the general manager for ERP UK – the scheme holding the most contracts with councils to collect WEEE – outlined the difficulties that his company had faced.

“Theoretically the system is fine,” he explained. “The obligation calculation is the bit that we're all struggling with.”

“April's data was significantly different to the last one we were issued with in March; we were given a preliminary obligation that was different to what we'd seen before,” he added.

While he accepted that small mistakes were inevitable on all sides, Mr Butler took issue with the extent of the problems that had been experienced.

“You expect issues with any new system but I'm surprised that we're still having this level of issues”, he said, adding that “good, robust, timely data is an important part of the system,” he said.

In particular, Mr Butler expressed concerns over the role played by the Environment Agency, and the speed of its reaction to errors in data submitted by PCS.

“We're worried that the data's accepted at face value, which is has to be to some extent, but it needs somebody to understand the market – that's what producers pay the enforcement agency to do,” he said.

His views were echoed by Phil Conran, head of Biffa's PCS Transform and a member of the WEEE Advisory Board which held its first meeting last week (see letsrecycle.com story) .

Mr Conran revealed that there was “confusion and uncertainty” among schemes, in particular relating to potential discrepancies between the WEEE collection data submitted by PCS and the amount of evidence entered by authorised treatment facilities into the BERR-backed Settlement Centre (see letsrecycle.com story).

He said: “we've all got our fingers crossed that the two figures are going to be the same”.

Market

WEEE PCS are allowed to trade the evidence they have accumulated in order to meet their producer obligations, but Mr Conran indicated that the market had been “fairly slow because I think people have been waiting to find out what their final market share requirements are.”

He added that the latest amendments to the WEEE data, and their resultant effect on PCSs' obligations were likely to worst affect “people selling because they thought they had a surplus”.

Uncertainty over the trading situation has also been experienced by ERP, as Mr Butler explained: “It's a crazy market to be operating in, you don't know if you should be buying or selling.”

Response

The Environment Agency has accepted that there had been problems with WEEE data reporting, and a spokesman for the Agency explained that today's 'Data Day', which will also be attended by BERR, was a direct response to that.

He said: “The purpose of the day is for the Environment Agency to go through the ins and outs of data submission, and address any issues PCS may have come across,” he said. “It's also an opportunity for both sides to be clear and understand the way forward.”

“The WEEE Advisory Board noted data reporting as an issue and so we are working with them on the issue. This 'data day' is an example of how we are working to improve the situation,” the Agency spokesman added.

Referring to the specific problems relating to WEEE data, he said: “As with any new system or regulation there are teething problems with data reporting – there have been some with the WEEE Regulations. However, we have worked with relevant parties to address these and continue to work to improve data quality and reporting.”

It is also expected that discussions will take place today relating to the clarification of what will happen to schemes that fail to comply with their obligations as well as the issue of the implications of a potential structural failure of one of the 13 WEEE categories.