letsrecycle.com

Environment Agency confirms new WEEE codes

The Environment Agency (EA) has announced that from 1 January 2025, all Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) will be notifiable under new codes.

This means that companies exporting or importing WEEE will need to obtain a notification from the Competent Authorities involved to obtain a notification from the competent authorities involved to obtain a consent for the export or import of this type of waste.

EA said the change is being brought in because of an amendment to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. The amendment addresses the need for better regulation of WEEE shipments and will help protect human health and the environment.

All WEEE will be classified under the new waste shipment codes and exporters must ensure that any waste that arrives to its destination after 1 January 2025 is correctly coded and notified.

The new codes do not cover components or fractions of WEEE-derived waste that are currently covered by specific codes and meet the required specification for those codes. Hazardous waste batteries, for example, will continue to be covered by entry A1170.

Preparation

Steve Molyneux, deputy director of waste and resources regulation at the Environment Agency, said: “These changes will ensure that exported Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout shipment and during recycling.

“We encourage interested parties to review the changes and prepare for when legislation is in place on 1 January 2025.”

Share this article with others

Subscribe for free

Subscribe to receive our newsletters and to leave comments.

Back to top

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest waste and recycling news straight to your inbox.

Subscribe