The backing for the changes, which have been developed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, comes as one compliance scheme, Electrolink (see letsrecycle.com story) has expressed reservations about the plans.
The reform of the UKs household WEEE system has been welcomed by the Joint Trade Associations (JTA) which represents the eight major trade associations in the electrical sector and four producer-owned and led WEEE compliance schemes.
Chairman of the JTA and technical manager at the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Equipment, Richard Hughes, said: We are pleased that the government has seized the opportunity presented by the recast of the WEEE directive to apply fundamental, root and branch reforms to the UK WEEE system.
He added: Whilst not our most favoured option, in choosing option 3, the Government has clearly listened carefully to the comments of the wide range of stakeholders which responded to the WEEE consultation. As the consensus option, we understand the decision and support it.
It heralds the long overdue demise of the must buy market for WEEE, provided that the compliance fee is properly set and applied each year. On that basis, no longer will WEEE schemes need to engage in senseless bidding for costly WEEE evidence. Costs to Producers should then reflect the actual costs incurred and not the inflated evidence costs that have been prevalent in recent years.
Critically, it means that resources can now focus on ensuring that quality treatment standards are applied consistently, that WEEE traceability is in place, and that collection rates are maximised.
Mr Hughes went on to argue that local authorities would benefit from the change. From 2014 they will have the flexibility to choose to manage the recycling of any WEEE they collect and to retain the net revenues. Independent research has estimated that this will result in revenues of over 16m per annum.
Assurance
Adrian Hawkes, director of policy at Valpak which runs a compliance scheme for producers, commented: The BIS decision is roughly as we expected. We have always been a strong supporter of the option three approach. If I was in the governments shoes, I would think that this gives them the best assurance that the UK will meet its targets.
Mr Hawkes said that the new system would still be very much a competitive one. He explained: Not every producer changes scheme every year but every year there are some that move. So, this keeps an element of competition.
Looking ahead, Mr Hawkes said that there were still a lot of detailed parts of the new system which needed to be finalised. And, he emphasised that Valpak would be willing to help contribute to the planning. We want to make the regulations work as a whole and we want to get as smooth a transition as we can.
Partnership
Scott Butler, managing director of ERP UK, spoke of the need for partnership to deliver the new regulations. He said: I hope the WEEE Recast will create the right conditions for the UK to improve our environmental performance and increase the proper collection and treatment of electronic waste.
We must all work in partnership now to make sure the future WEEE system promotes equitable and healthy competition; ensures environmental quality; and provides assurance to local authorities that they will always be supported by producers, through their producer compliance schemes.
Common-sense
Compliance scheme Clarity Environmental also welcomed the new draft WEEE regulations.
David Adams, managing director of Clarity Environmental, said: We welcome the draft regulations and the common-sense approach to WEEE compliance, with the removal of the requirement for viable plans and the ability to use a different small mixed WEEE category to offset an obligation within categories 2 – 9. We also support a 5 tonne de minimis, which will reduce the administrative burden for small producers.
The new regulations will undoubtedly bring about changes to the way WEEE compliance schemes operate. But we see this as an opportunity for our business, as well as for our WEEE compliance members. We will continue to grow and develop our membership scheme and will adapt our business to work with the system as it changes.
Blight
Nigel Harvey, chief executive of leading lighting compliance scheme Recolight said: The government has chosen option 3 from the four household WEEE options it was considering. At a stroke, this will eliminate the must buy market and the WEEE evidence trading that blight the current system. The result is a mechanism that can, provided it is implemented correctly, drive up household recycling rates, improve traceability and prevent excessive third party costs.
He added Recolight, the Lighting Industry Association, and others have worked within the wider Joint Trade Association (JTA), to push for regulatory change. Many of Recolights producer members also responded to the governments consultation.
As a result, we now have a system which should ensure that WEEE is sustainable in the long term.
Turning to some of the detail in the new legislation, Mr Harvey said For the lighting industry, there are several important outcomes that are expected to come into effect from the beginning of 2014:
- Gas Discharge Lamps and LED light sources will be in the same category. This is a common sense approach which recognises the change taking place in the lighting market. It also reduces the risk of an unfunded fluorescent lamp waste stream in the years to come.
- The change to the household WEEE system means the threat that independent waste collectors could charge excessive costs has gone.
- The draft legislation includes a de minimis of 5 tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market, below which there is no requirement for a producer to join a scheme. Recolight will be writing to all members affected to explain their options.
- The non-household (B2B) WEEE system remains largely unchanged. Recolight will continue to provide a free collection and recycling service through 1500 Recolight collection points right across the UK.
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