The draft regulations and guidance for the WEEE Directive were published by the DTI on Friday (30/07/04), including the latest on a proposed National Clearing House (see letsrecycle.com story).
Despite missing the European deadline for transposing the Directive into UK law this summer, the government still has to meet the August 2005 deadline for bringing the laws into affect. The final regulations for WEEE are not likely to be laid before Parliament before November 2004.
Local authorities collecting electrical goods for re-use and recycling will be able to count the tonnages towards their recycling targets, and although they will have no obligation to collect WEEE, the government has said that civic amenity sites will still play an important role in its plans.
“The Government aims, in the first instance, to build on the existing collection infrastructure for household waste in the UK. The network of local civic amenity sites is familiar to householders and the Government expects them to continue to take WEEE to these sites,” the draft guidance said.
But it added: “The civic amenity sites will need a level of upgrading in line with the requirements of the Directive covering the handling/ storage of WEEE.”
Under the WEEE Directive, electrical retailers must either provide take-back of goods to customers or an alternative collection system (see letsrecycle.com legislation section). The UK government has proposed that those retailers that decide not to offer take-back should be required to join a compliance scheme to fund collection points for WEEE, such as at civic amenity sites.
CA sites
Details of a retailers' compliance scheme and collection fund are still being considered in discussions between the British Retail Consortium and the government. Although this consultation did not mention the value of the retailers' fund in the second consultation the government proposed a 10 million fund, including a 5 million ring-fenced fund for councils to bid into to upgrade their CA sites.
Under the draft rules, civic amenity sites that collect WEEE will have to register with the National Clearing House by next Spring to be recognised as part of the collection network and so receive free transport of equipment for recycling. The operation of the National Clearing House, which will handle producer responsibility arrangements, have not been decided.
Some councils have said that their civic amenity sites are too small to add new containers for WEEE. In the draft guidance, the government proposes placing the different categories of WEEE into four collection groups: large domestic appliances; IT/telecoms and consumer equipment; lighting equipment; and small household appliances, tools, toys, leisure and sports equipment, and monitoring and control equipment.
To get designated collection point status, civic amenity sites will also require impermeable surfaces and weather-proofing for “appropriate areas”.
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