UK Government sets WEEE timetable

Europe’s WEEE Directive mandates environmental disposal of all Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, with producers and retailers responsible for collecting and recycling waste.

Following a number of delays, the Government has now begun its final consultation on WEEE, with several key proposals:

A national distributor takeback scheme which will establish a network of collection facilities enabling consumers to return their used items for recycling or reuse;

Obligatory registration for producers through approved compliance schemes;

Authorised treatment facilities, which will process WEEE and provide evidence to producers on the amount of WEEE received for treatment;

Accredited reprocessing/recycling facilities who will provide evidence of reprocessing to producers;

An end-of-year settlement to ensure producers are able to meet their obligations via an exchange system;

A voluntary approach for producers to show the cost of handling historical WEEE.

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said: “Electrical equipment is the fastest growing category of rubbish across the European Union, with around 20kg per person produced every year, and the UK alone is now generating around one million tonnes of the stuff every year.

“These proposals are good for consumers, good for responsible producers and good for our environment.”

The Consultation Document can be found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations. The consultation will run until October 17, 2006.

Free help and advice over the Directive can be found by contacting Envirowise.