Department of Business to review entire WEEE system

We will be working with the enforcement authorities to ensure that those that wish to distort the system are dealt with effectively

 
Malcolm Wicks

Speaking at a BERR-organised WEEE stakeholder event, held yesterday (July 9), the Minister praised the UK's “impressive achievement” in collecting well above the 4 kilograms per head of population of waste electronic and electrical equipment required by the EU WEEE Directive, and called for the industry to target 10 kg per head by the end of 2009.

However, he warned producer compliance schemes against operating in a way that might damage the future effectiveness of the UK's WEEE system.

He said: “I cannot and will not let any producer compliance scheme running with its own agenda threaten the whole system and we will be working with the enforcement authorities to ensure that those that wish to distort the system are dealt with effectively.”

Obligations

Mr Wicks' comments come after the 2007 compliance period saw continuing difficulties in the relationships between producer compliance schemes, and, in particular, their approaches towards accumulating sufficient evidence to meet their members' obligations.

In particular, about six compliance schemes are thought to have been short of evidence when the June 16 deadline for 2007 compliance passed, notably Repic and also ERP and Transform. Agreement between the schemes and Electrolink has been protracted over costs and contractual conditions. However, it is now understood that some schemes did opt to buy evidence from Electrolink during the extra time period which was opened last week for schemes to make up their shortfall (see letsrecycle.com story).

The producer compliance scheme system is set to be examined as part of the review of the UK WEEE system that Mr Wicks announced yesterday.

Outlining the purpose of the exercise, a BERR spokesperson said: “Working closely with the Advisory Body and other key groups including producers, distributors, local authorities and small business representative bodies, the review will include producer compliance scheme and distributor take-back scheme requirements, data collection and submission, and the sharing of best practice across all elements of the system.”

Awareness

Mr Wicks also used yesterday's event to confirm that a consumer awareness campaign would be held in late 2008 to encourage the public to recycle their waste electronic and electrical equipment.

He said: “It is important we now explain the WEEE system more clearly to the public through a consumer awareness campaign and we intend to embark on this toward the end of this year.

“Consumers should find it much easier to recycle and dispose of their electrical and electronic waste now,” he added.

BERR has previously said that it hoped to run the campaign during the summer (see letsrecycle.com story), but it is believed that the initiative was delayed to avoid any clash with Recycle Week, which was held in June, and also to capitalise on the large amount of WEEE that becomes available in the period leading up to, and after, Christmas.

Advisory Body

Yesterday's stakeholder event was also attended by members of the WEEE Advisory Body (WAB), the independent group established last December with 13 members drawn from producer compliance schemes, waste management firms and reuse organisations (see letsrecycle.com story).

The WAB is holding its second full meeting today (July 10), in London, with feedback from yesterday's event one of the items on the agenda for discussion.

The meeting's main aim, however, is to review the work implementation plans of four sub-groups that have been set up to examine matters including the UK WEEE system and data issues.

In particular, the second sub-group, which is charged with examining matters including individual producer responsibility, reuse, business-to-business and the impending EC Review, is scheduled to deliver its preliminary report at today's meeting.

The WAB's work implementation plan states that it has the power to make “immediate recommendations to BERR where applicable”, and it has to publish a full progress report, including recommendations, for BERR and ministers at least once a year.