WEEE retail compliance scheme will move ahead as planned

The Department of Trade and Industry yesterday announced that “WEEE Day” would be pushed back from the start of January to June 2006.

” We expect to announce the winning tender for the retail compliance scheme by the end of August “
– Nigel Smith, BRC
This move will allow the BRC and the retailers an extra six months to get the retail compliance scheme together, but Nigel Smith, corporate social responsibility director for the BRC, has said that this delay will not slow down the work being done on the retail compliance scheme.

Mr Smith said: “Although this gives us more time to recruit the thousands of companies that will be obligated by the legislation and provide the funding for local authorities, the deadline is still tight. We expect to announce the winning tender by the end of August.”

Once a company is chosen it will have to begin registering companies that are obligated under the legislation, as well as arranging payments to local authorities for the upgrading of civic amenity sites to accept WEEE.

Mr Smith also told letsrecycle.com that it would also allow the BRC more time to investigate alternate collection provisions for those areas that have gaps due to a lack of CA sites – such as the highlands of Scotland.

Adequate network


According to the government the delay has been made in order to allow an adequate collection network for electronic waste to be put together for WEEE.

In a letter sent to the key stakeholders DTI's leader on WEEE Chris Tollady said: “This decision reflects the Government's concerns that an adequate UK network of facilities for separate collection of WEEE should be in place for householders to use.

“This is a key practical requirement for the implementation of the Directive. Whilst much progress has been made towards this, it is clear that a UK-wide network of WEEE collection facilities will not be ready by the start of the year,” he added.

Letsrecycle.com is holding a special conference on the way forward for waste electronics on October 12. For more details see the letsrecycle.com events page