European Parliament backs 85% WEEE goal

The Parliament's environment committee voted 54 in favour, one against and with three abstentions to adopt a report written by one of its members, Karl-Heinz Florenz, which says that, rather than the target being based on new material put onto the market, it should be based on “real waste”.

At the start of the recast process, the European Commission had proposed the replacement of the current weight-based target faced by member states – which the UK has easily met since its WEEE system came into force in 2007 – with a 65% target from 2016.

This would be based on the amount of new electrical equipment put onto the market over the previous two years, but, in a statement issued after yesterday's meeting, the Parliament said: “MEPs emphasise that targets should be based on real waste because old goods are often stored or given away, rather than thrown away.”

Key figures involved in dealing with WEEE across Europe have already expressed reservations over the 65% goal originally proposed (see letsrecycle.com story), and achieving it would require a significant increase in the UK's current collection rate for household WEEE, which reached 36.6% in 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, it is unclear exactly how the 85% goal now proposed by the Parliament would in practice be calculated.

Amendments

Mr Florenz, who, as rapporteur for the WEEE Directive recast, is responsible for steering it through the European Parliament, originally published a draft version of his report in February 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story), but yesterday's meeting involved the adoption of further amendments, proposed by other members of the environmental committee, to the Commission's original proposals.

Among the other proposals backed by the environment committee are for member states to have to meet an interim collection target by 2012, which would be either four kilogram per capita – the target already met by the UK – or equivalent to the amount of WEEE collected in 2010, whichever is higher.
MEPs also said that, with member states generating varying levels of WEEEE, they should be free to set higher national targets.

And, they adopted a number of other proposals, which included:

• A “simpler” system of six categories of WEEE, replacing the current 10, with goals for between 70% and 85% of WEEE to be recovered and between 50% and 75% to be recycled, depending on category;
• A call for reusable equipment to be kept separate from other electronic waste, and for a 5% reuse target to apply to certain categories of equipment
• “Tougher” inspections on exported waste to ensure only reusable equipment is sent to developing countries;
• Creating an obligation for retailers to accept small WEEE that is handed into them.

The report, and all its amendments, are now scheduled to be voted on at a full plenary session of the European Parliament on September 17, before it passes back to the Council under the European legislative procedure known as co-decision.

Potentially second readings can then be held in both the Council and Parliament before agreement is reached on the recast text.