Councils must retain choice under WEEE changes

Local authorities and waste management firms are keen to see councils retain the choice over which compliance scheme they partner with under proposed changes to the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) system.

This was among comments from Claire Brailsford, head of waste management for Derbyshire county council and Bill Griffiths, national recycling manager for waste management firm Viridor, speaking at the Reshaping the WEEE Regulations conference, hosted by letsrecycle.com on Wednesday (May 1).

The pair gave separate presentations during the conference on what proposed changes to the WEEE system are likely to mean for their respective stakeholder groups, and both highlighted the benefits that long term partnerships between local authorities and WEEE compliance schemes can bring.

Particular concerns were raised about proposals which would mean that local authorities have less choice over which scheme is allocated to collect WEEE from local authority owned designated collection facilities (DCFs).

Ms Brailsford, who is among the leading local authority experts on WEEE for the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO), said that competition between schemes is a key element of the current WEEE system that local authorities would not like to see change.

She said: I think local authorities are looking for choice, flexibility and competition. We also dont want to see any additional cost passed on to local authorities. The need to review contractual arrangements is very important.

Options

She commented that of the proposed options, option two the establishment of a single national producer compliance scheme may not be supported by councils, as it is seen as the most restrictive option, and provides them with no choice as to which scheme they partner with.

She also raised doubts over whether councils were likely to be supportive option four a compulsory allocation system for compliance schemes and collection sites which she commented could bring unnecessary disruption to services, if collection contracts are regularly changing hands.

But, Ms Brailsford said that option three which would see compliance schemes subject to compulsory collection targets, as well as a compliance fee if they are not met – is likely to be a preferred option for councils as well as addressing a number of shortfalls inherent in the current regulations.

The government has indicated that it is currently minded to favour options three and four of the proposals it has put forward.

Meanwhile, commenting on the proposals on behalf of the waste management industry, Bill Griffiths of Viridor said that long term partnerships between councils, schemes and waste contractors had been key to the UK meeting its WEEE recycling obligations to date.

Mr Griffiths said that initiatives such as integrated communications campaigns around WEEE recycling at a local level were key to increasing the capture of WEEE at civic amenity sites, and said that partnerships between the stakeholder groups were crucial in encouraging these projects.

Choice

And, he warned that if councils are no longer given the choice as to which scheme they are partnered with it could mean that progress towards future WEEE recycling targets is not sustained, if there is no incentive for schemes to compete for local authority collection contracts.

He said: To achieve progress takes work and it takes partnership. That is what will encourage the innovation that is going to give rise to the extra tonnage that is needed.

Changes to the WEEE system have been proposed in light of the recast of the WEEE Directive and the government is also keen to overhaul the WEEE system to address concerns from producers of electronic equipment that the current arrangement does not represent the actual cost of recycling.

A consultation into the proposed changes to the WEEE system is currently ongoing, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has given stakeholders until June 21 to respond.