“No new burdens” for councils from WEEE, says government

In its second consultation on the European Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, the government has indicated the directions it wishes to take on many of the unresolved issues surrounding the implementation of the Directive into UK law.

The Directive in favour of electrical retailers should provide an in-store take-back for goods or they should finance an alternative service. However, many retailers have openly opposed this saying instead that facilities should be provided at CA sites for consumers to take their waste goods. Local authorities have argued that under the Directive they have no financial responsibility and can not afford to modify their CA sites.

In the consultation, the government said that it will support but not require local authorities to up-grade their CA sites. It said: “The government is clear that there should be no new burdens on local authorities as a result of the WEEE Directive. Accordingly, the government will encourage local authorities to consider upgrading sites, where possible, and a degree of greater separate collection.”

In order to fund the modifications, the government has proposed a fund of at least 5 million per year for 2005 to 2010 from which councils can bid for money to up-grade and maintain WEEE collection facilities.

The government has also decided to take a “flexible approach” to in-store take-back and allow retailers not offering the service to join a compliance scheme instead. The consultation said: “It is expected that many retailers will opt to join a compliance organisation, in view of the strong concerns expressed by the sector about certain aspects of in-store take-back, including health and safety, staff training, administration and lack of storage space.”

However, the form of the compliance scheme to “provide an adequate WEEE collection network” has not been decided and the government has called for retailers' input in the consultation document. But the government has proposed that the scheme raise 10 million per year which would provide the funds for the local authority CA site fund and collect points or “bring events” for WEEE at major shopping centres.

Clearing house

The government has also come out in favour of the &#39c;learing house' body funded by producers that would organise collection from central points, such as CA sites.

The clearing house was originally proposed by the European Recycling Platform made up of electrical manufacturers Hewlett Packard, Electrolux, Sony and Gillette who together cover 14% of the European electrical equipment market. Under the Directive, producers have financial responsibility for the collection of WEEE from central points and for the treatment and recycling of that equipment.

The consultation said: “The government supports, as a preferred option, a national “clearing house” to coordinate collection of WEEE nationwide for treatment and recovery… The clearing house would be a central body, funded by producers (possibly through a registration fee), which would coordinate free collection of WEEE from civic amenity sites and other designated central facilities on demand.”

Re-use

Although the WEEE Directive has not set out targets for the re-use of whole goods, it says that member states should encourage this practice.

The UK government is looking for ways to promote re-use over recycling and is encouraging stakeholders to submit their views on this point.

The consultation paper said: “The government is considering several ideas for how best to do this. These include the suggestions of devising a performance indicator for local
authorities under the Best Value Performance Indicator; incentives for producers to give preference to re-use options; or making producer responsibility compliance schemes show, as a condition of their registration, how they will encourage re-use.”

The government has invited stakeholders to comment on these and other issues raised in the WEEE consultation paper and the deadline for responses is March 1 2004.

The consultation paper and its supporting documents are available in electronic form on the DTI's Sustainable Development website.