DTI launches final consultation for WEEE

Last week saw the Department of Trade and Industry launch its final consultation on the WEEE Directive.

The consultation includes draft regulations for implementing the Directive, with the DTI now decided on many key areas.

Under the draft regulations producer responsibility will begin in July 2007, although an interim period will begin in April next year to get systems in place.

Once the Directive comes into force, producers of electronic equipment will be responsible for paying for end of life electronics to be recycled.

The key proposals included in the draft regulations include:

• A national Distributor Takeback Scheme which will establish a network of Designated 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

Areas that will be discussed in the consultation include burdens for small business, limits that should be imposed on compliance schemes over and under collecting their allocation and improvements that can be made to recycling evidence arrangements.

Launching the Government's consultation energy minister Malcolm Wicks said: "These proposals are good for consumers, good for responsible producers and good for our environment.

"By providing a way of ensuring that electronic waste no longer has to go to landfills, manufacturers and importers will have the responsibility to ensure that they plan for both their new and existing products to be recycled rather than dumped," he added.