The comments come following the government's green light for the British Retail Consortium's proposed retailers' compliance scheme, which is to help retailers cope with the forthcoming demands of the WEEE Directive (see letsrecycle.com story).
” Unless the producers are happy with a few skips on each site, with collection performed elsewhere, then many sites will not be able to upgrade for 5,000.“
– Neil Ferris, LARAC
The 8.2 million fund will be provided by the retail compliance scheme for CA site upgrades, but is considered by councils to be short of the sum needed to reach the standards expected for Designated Collection Point status.
Neil Ferris, principal policy officer for LARAC, the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, said: “Although we welcome the movement from the BRC, we are incredibly disappointed with the amount of funding offered by the retail compliance scheme.
“It isn't at all surprising that the proposals received overwhelming backing from retailers when you look at the amount that they are being asked to provide,” he added.
Letter
LARAC is urging its local authority members to respond to a letter written to them by the BRC asking for the kind of costs they expect necessary for CA site upgrades and point out that little is yet known concerning the level of upgrades required.
Mr Ferris said: “Until producers deliver a clear message to local authorities as to what the specification of their collections will be, local authorities will not be in a position to cost changes.
“Unless the producers are happy with a few skips on each site, with collection performed elsewhere, then many sites will not be able to upgrade for 5,000, but if the WEEE has to be separated out at the site and shrink wrapped, then we may be looking at anywhere as much as 250,000 for individual sites,” he explained.
Many local authorities have indicated that if funds are not sufficient they will simply not offer their sites as designated collection facilities. Mr Ferris said if this was the case the retailers would have to make their own collection arrangements, probably involving larger facilities used on a regional basis.
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“Retailers have to consider how much it will cost for them to put together an adequate network themselves. By using CA sites they will be saving a great deal of money, but the figures currently proposed are not close enough,” said Mr Ferris.
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