WEEE schemes begin rush for compliance

The figures mean that schemes now know exactly how much waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling evidence they need to obtain before the end of the month to meet their producer members' obligations for the 2008 compliance period.

Based on a UK population of 61 million, this means that approximately 6.79 kilograms of household WEEE was collected per head of population, comfortably exceeding the EU's national target of 4kg per head, and also increasing the 5.25kg per head recorded during the six-month long 2007 compliance period (see letsrecycle.com story).

Data

However, the data also reveals that almost 10,000 tonnes less WEEE was reported as having been either treated or exported by approved treatment facilities (AATFs) or approved exporters (AE) than was reported collected by compliance schemes in 2008.

With schemes' final obligations being calculated according to the tonnage of evidence that is placed onto the WEEE Settlement Centre by treatment facilities and exporters, this could have affected schemes' calculations if they were based purely on the amount of WEEE they had cleared via councils' civic amenity sites.

But, schemes have downplayed the impact of the difference between the two figures, pointing to the experience gained from the 2007 compliance period, when issues over data led to a delay in the issuing of schemes' final obligations (see letsrecycle.com story).

Speaking to letsrecycle.com about the data situation, the general manager of DHL's compliance scheme, Paul James said: “It has improved, albeit there probably have been some spurious numbers that have come out.”

He explained that following last year's problems, many schemes were more “pragmatic” about their approach to data.

Mr James' sentiments were echoed by Scott Butler, UK general manager for the pan-European ERP compliance scheme, who acknowledged that the “big changes were less significant” this year.

However, Mr Butler added that “the data variability is still too significant”, and as a result made it “difficult” for schemes to know how much WEEE to collect.

And, Phil Conran, the former head of Biffa's compliance scheme Transform, and now of consultancy 360 Environmental, explained: “Because you have got two different systems to report data it's not surprising you have got these differences.”

But, he added that “the schemes ought to know and ought to be tracking the Settlement Centre.”

Confident

Despite these concerns, schemes have also told letsrecycle.com that they are confident of securing enough evidence to meet their members' obligations before the June 1 deadline.

In particular, schemes have claimed there is a “better spread” of evidence between them, with access to WEEE from civic amenity sites less focussed on just a few major schemes than was the case for the 2007 compliance period.

In 2007, the system saw protracted negotiations over evidence trading, centring on Electrolink, which held a large surplus of evidence, and a number of other schemes, including REPIC, which had a shortfall (see letsrecycle.com story).

Commenting on the situation for 2008, ERP's Mr Butler said: “There's still some evidence that we need to secure but we are a long way down the line to doing it.

And DHL's Mr James said that “we will be compliant”.

Trading

Speaking about trading so far for 2008, Mr Butler explained that: “Our experience of trading with other schemes has been generally positive throughout the 2008 compliance period and that has continued through this week.”

And, he added: “We, as a scheme, invested a lot of this year in building relationships and that investment is paying off in terms of balancing our obligation. We have seen the benefits of that over the last couple of days.”

Both Mr Butler and Mr James said that the market had matured in 2008, with Mr James explaining that “to be honest most people act like grown-ups; we sit down and talk at a table.”

Mr James explained that, as a result of the spread of evidence between schemes “We've found this year we needed to do more deals this year than we had to last year,” adding that “I think this year will be made up of a lot of smaller trades”.

However, Mr Butler said that, while schemes were “working” with the system, they were still were eagerly awaiting the results of the government's review of the WEEE regulations which was launched in December 2008 (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, he claimed that, as a result, they were “trying to operate in a market with a lot of uncertainty at the moment”.