The legislation, derived from a European Directive, was intended
to boost recycling instead of adding to landfill. Last year two
million tonnes of electrical waste was generated in the UK alone,
enough to fill the new Wembley Stadium six times over, according to
the new Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
(DBERR). The DBERR has taken over the responsibilities of the
former Department for Trade and Industry (DTI).
The Regulations came into effect in January and their provisions
have been phased in. The first important phase was a requirement on
every company that manufactures, imports or re-brands electrical
and electronic equipment (collectively known as 'producers') to
join an approved producer compliance scheme by 15th March.
Distributors such as retailers wanting to join a Distributor
Take-back Scheme should have done so by that date. As of yesterday,
producers have to finance the costs associated with the treatment,
recovery and disposal of WEEE.
The take-back duties also came into force on Sunday 1st July.
Business and household consumers buying electrical and electronic
products should be offered free take-back of old products.
Sellers of electrical and electronic equipment can offer
in-store take-back of old equipment when consumers buy a
replacement item. However, most retailers have opted to join a
Distributor Take-Back scheme instead, paying money to support a
network of 1,450 public collection facilities where consumers can
return old goods.
All distributors must make information available to consumers on
how they can dispose of WEEE, which will be done with posters and
leaflets with purchases.
Putting the responsibility on the electrical industry is
intended to make designers consider the eventual recycling of their
products, to give the industry an incentive to provide consumers
with more options for returning old products, to encourage the
reuse of products and to create a valuable market in recycled
materials.
In the six months since the laying of the Regulations, the
Government has worked closely with industry to set up the various
components of what it calls "a flexible and viable national
electrical waste system".
Over the next six months the Government will continue to support
awareness-raising amongst existing and new producers, to encourage
them to participate fully in the UK WEEE system. As part of this
system we will also be appointing of an independent WEEE Advisory
Body to assess the effectiveness of the Regulations and keep them
under review.
The Regulations will be enforced proportionately by the
environment agencies. The priority is to get unregistered producers
into compliance schemes so that they can make an appropriate
contribution to the system but DBERR says enforcement action will
be taken against any business that seeks an advantage by flouting
the rules.
