My priority is to streamline the system and build on the successful implementation of the existing regulations
Ian Pearson
The proposed revisions come after the first 18 months of the UK WEEE system was characterised by prolonged negotiations and last-minute trading among schemes as they looked to acquire evidence (see letsrecycle.com story) and uncertainty over data reporting (see letsrecycle.com story).
In a statement, BERR said that the revisions, which would come into affect on January 1 2010, aimed to improve the approval process for producer compliance schemes by introducing “open-ended” authorisation and annual scrutiny of their operational plans.
At the same time, it said it hoped to simplify the data reporting process and evidence requirements to save firms time and money, as well as continuing the distributor take-back scheme.
In October 2008, the Environment Agency – which regulates compliance schemes – told schemes that they would have to be able to prove they could source enough evidence to meet their member's obligations without a reliance on trading by the time they applied for reapproval next summer (see letsrecycle.com story).
Announcing the proposed revisions, business and economic minister Ian Pearson said: “We are now almost 18 months into the UK WEEE system and I am very pleased to see that some real and impressive achievements have been made.
“Now is an appropriate time to consider the lessons we have learned and look at how we can revise the regulations in order to move forward.
“My priority is to streamline the system and build on the successful implementation of the existing regulations, while reducing the administrative burden placed on businesses by the requirements for demonstrating compliance,” he added.
The consultation also proposes improvements to the Code of Practice that reprocessors and compliance schemes must adhere to for collecting waste electrical and electronic equipment from civic amenity sites, as well as revisions to the guidance on the best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques.
The consultation is a key part of the WEEE review that was announced by the then-energy minister Malcolm Wicks in July 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Repic
Reaction to the proposed revisions came from the Repic compliance scheme, which was thought to be one of the schemes that faced difficulties in acquiring evidence to meet its members obligations for the 2007 compliance period (see letsrecycle.com story).
In a statement, the company said: “Repic is delighted that the consultation document and proposed amendments to the UK WEEE Regulations, received today from BERR, totally outlaw the speculator's model and the retrospective trading of mass evidence volumes that have blighted the UK implementation to date.
“The review of the code of practice will further improve and clarify the partnerships between local authorities, operators of DCFs and PCSs and the proposed continuation of DTS funding for DCFs should strengthen the WEEE collection system, increase separate collection of WEEE and raise public awareness,” it added.
Responses to the consultation must be submitted by April 6, 2009.
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