WEEE Review Conclusions
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has published its conclusions on the implementation review of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive (220/96/EC) in the UK, which it launched on 14th December 2005. The WEEE Directive implements the principle of “extended producer responsibility” by addressing the environmental impacts of WEEE and encouraging its separate collection and subsequent treatment, reuse, recovery, recycling and environmentally sound disposal. The paper is a result of the review team’s dialogue with the stakeholder community including producers, retailers, the treatment and recycling industries, reuse and refurbishment organisations and local authorities.
The Review has concluded that UK implementation of the WEEE Directive should have the following main features:
• approved compliance schemes for retailers, which will establish networks of Designated Collection Facilities (DCFs)
• obligatory registration for producers, which may be either direct or through an approved compliance scheme
• a system for calculating producers’ obligations under the Directive
• a quasi-market mechanism for allocating WEEE from DCFs to producer schemes
• a code of practice covering the collection of WEEE from DCFs
• a network of authorised treatment facilities, which will process WEEE and provide evidence of this to producers
• protocols to enable producers to demonstrate achievement of recycling targets in a cost effective way
• a voluntary approach for producers to show the cost of handling historical WEEE.
The DTi invites comments and views on the paper. Responses should be sent no later than 19th May to WEEE@dti.gsi.gov.uk. The conclusions of implementation review can be found at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/supplementary_paper.pdf
Source: www.dti.gov.uk (accessed 03/05/06)
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