And, in a report on the implementation of the ELV Directive and the WEEE Directive, the EFRA Committee objected to the government's “lack of guidance and clarity” over the handling of new regulations on the recycling of vehicles and electronic equipment.
” There is a real need to involve industry stakeholders at the beginning of discussions and to think through the practical consequences of new Directives.“
– Paddy Tipping MP
Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said stakeholders in the recycling industry have not been clear about what is expected of them – and this may have threatened investment.
In the report, published today, the Committee warned that DEFRA does not “possess enough of the specialist skills it needs” to deal with the European Directives on End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) and Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE).
And, it warned that the government “lacks a proper understanding of the waste and recycling sector”.
Commenting on the report, the chairman of the sub-committee, Sherwood MP Paddy Tipping, said: “Much of our environmental legislation originates in Brussels. The government does not get involved early enough to influence policy. There is a real need to involve industry stakeholders at the beginning of discussions; to set up stakeholder teams involving the private sector; and to think through the practical consequences of new Directives.”
ELVs
Drawing on evidence from the British Metals Recycling Association, the EFRA committee expressed concerns with the Own Marque approach to the implementation of the ELV Directive this year. This approach – which is currently out to consultation – involves vehicle manufacturers setting up their own networks of treatment facilities to process vehicles of their own brand after 2007 (see letsrecycle.com vehicles section).
” The evidence we have received makes us seriously question the “own marque” approach to ELVs after 2007. “
– EFRA Committee
The committee warned that in the own marque approach, manufacturers would be likely to favour larger vehicle dismantlers when setting up their networks of Authorised Treatment Facilities or those organised in chains. This would mean consolidation of the recycling sector, it said, and because of manufacturers' freedom to “take work away from dismantlers overnight”, meant firms were discouraged from investing in meeting new treatment standards.
The report said: “The evidence we have received makes us seriously question the “own marque” approach to funding the disposal of ELVs after 2007. The objective should be to ensure that complying with the ELV Directive is as straightforward as possible.”
“We urge the government urgently to re-examine whether that objective will best be achieved by encouraging consolidation and concentration in the dismantling sector, as the 'own marque' approach seems likely to do.”
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