The final regulations implementing the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive into UK law were laid before Parliament this week (see letsrecycle.com story), introducing producer responsibility for all ELVs from 2007.
”We always felt this shouldn't be a statutory thing – it's all about free market forces.“
– Duncan Wemyss
Under the regulations, motor manufacturers are to form networks of authorised treatment facilities (ATFs) with a sufficient capacity to recycle the ELVs arising that bear their own brands.
Not all ATFs are guaranteed contracts with the manufacturers, and there had been some concerns that uncontracted ATFs would not be permitted to charge last owners for take back services under the new regulations.
In what is being seen as a victory by recyclers, the ELV (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005 left the door open for uncontracted ATFs to charge last owners for taking in their old vehicles.
Pleased
Duncan Wemyss, association secretary at the Motor Vehicle Dismantling Association (MVDA), said: “We're very pleased that the previous proposal – that authorised treatment facilities with no contract wouldn't be able to charge – has been dropped.
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“The regulations have been lightly written, but we always felt this shouldn't be a statutory thing – it's all about free market forces,” he added.
The director-general of the British Metals Recycling Association, Neil Marshall, said: “It was a positive move by DTI to allow the uncontracted ATFs to charge for collection of ELVs from last owners, following lobbying by the BMRA.”
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