The directive, which needs to be put in place in the UK by April 2002, aims to tackle the nine million tonnes of ELVs which arise each year in Europe, with 1.8 million tonnes of this in the UK. It sets targets of re-use and recovery for ELVs of a minimum of 85% by weight with 80% by re-use and recycling. In 2015 the re-use and recovery target increases to 95% with a minimum of 85% re-use and recycling. Currently between 73-75% of the materials in an ELV are recycled.
Preparation of the consultation paper has brought to the surface some differences of opinion between the two main government departments involved in the directive, the Department of Trade and Industry and the newly-formed Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The DTI is thought to be keen on getting basic proposals out for consultation, whereas DEFRA has put emphasis on looking more closely at funding mechanisms and how the legislation would interact with the growing burden that local authorities face in removing abandoned vehicles.
Options
The consultation paper is expected to propose several ways in which the ELV directive could be implemented. It will reflect the requirement in the Directive that member states shall take the necessary measures to ensure:
“that economic operators set up systems for the collection of all end-of-life vehicles…” and “the adequate availability of collection facilities within their territory.”
Among the proposals are expected to be:
- Individual manufacturers can go it alone and bring back vehicles for depolluting themselves and send the materials to specialist recyclers. Ford is thought to be interested in this option and a disused assembly line at Dagenham could be used;
- A single national scheme with one organisation arranging all the ELV recycling, although there are doubts whether this could survive legal challenges even if it had government support;
- A scheme where car manufacturers could buy evidence of recycling from dismantlers and companies involved in metal recycling. This approach is thought to have strong support from the DTI because of the need to have national availability of sites to take in ELVs. Such an approach could see the introduction of a VRN, a vehicle recovery note similar to the PRN issued under the packaging waste regulations;
- A scheme where car manufacturers actively organise the recycling chain, such as the FARE scheme in Italy which has seen Fiat achieving an 82.5% recycling rate.
Funding
Funding is a central issue that will be examined within the consultation paper. A system often referred to is that in Sweden where a piece of legislation in 1975 saw new cars having a vehicle disposal sales tax of 50 which was paid into a central fund. The last owner would receive about 40 for taking this vehicle into an authorised dismantler and this approach also meant some money was available to help give to councils who had to remove vehicles.
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