As outlined below, the updated protocol for small mixed WEEE (SMW) covers collections sorted at local authority designated collection facilities (DCFs), such as civic amenity sites.
The protocol, which comes into effect from 1 January 2020, now includes the tonnage of products that came into scope from the beginning of 2019 as part of ‘open scope’ regulations.
Nigel Harvey, chief executive officer of compliance scheme Recolight, said: “An updated protocol means that producers and schemes can be more confident that reported tonnages accurately reflect the collections made.”
The small mixed WEEE stream includes waste electricals from all WEEE categories 2 through to 10, and so includes everything but large household, displays, cooling, lamps and PV panels.
For large domestic appliances, as outlined below, the biggest change sees the amount of non-WEEE allowed in with large domestic appliances (LDA) falling from 13% to 0.99%.
Review
The regulations were last updated in 2013.
Led by the WEEE Scheme Forum (WSF), the review of the existing protocol was carried out in anticipation of the open scope regulations which came into force this year.
Under the open scope, any equipment that falls under the definition of EEE is covered by WEEE regulations.
Mr Harvey said: “The move to open scope at the beginning of 2019 meant that the SMW protocol needed to be revised.
“The WEEE Scheme Forum has successfully project managed the work in time for implementation of the 2020 targets.”
“The move to open scope at the beginning of 2019 meant that the SMW protocol needed to be revised.”
Nigel Harvey
Recolight
Study
Using compliance fee funds an industry-led research project sampled a number of containers over a large area to ascertain a representative sample of WEEE.
Working out the relative tonnages of each category collected is significant because they are used to derive WEEE targets, and therefore apportion costs to producers.
The compliance fee is paid by Producer Compliance Schemes who fail to achieve the collection targets set by the 2013 WEEE Regulations.
The resulting protocols were agreed by Defra and other UK environment agencies, including the Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Compliance
The existing LDA and SMW protocols can still be used for the purposes of reporting and issuing evidence for the 2019 compliance year.
The revised protocols come into use for the 2020 compliance year from 1 January 2020.
Hazardous waste
SMW can contains items that are hazardous and POPs waste, and these must be classified, described and managed.
If a load of LDA contains SMW it must be treated the same way.
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