Following a two-year delay, the Government has set a date for the introduction of the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive...........More
UK Government sets WEEE timetable
The UK's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has published its timetable for the WEEE Directive......More
WEEE Directive timetable is finalised
The DTI finally launched the Draft Regulations and Guidance regarding the WEEE Directive at a stakeholder meeting on 25th July 2006........More
UK WEEE proposals gain support
Repic has given its support for the publication of the UK DTI's key proposals to be introduced under the WEEE Directive..........More
Small businesses reject electronics recycling fee structure
The FSB is to meet with the Environment Agency this week to discuss the role of small electronics producers under new producer responsibility legislation.........More
WRAP seeks bids for WEEE Projects
The Waste and Resources Action Programme is seeking bids for projects that will showcase recycling of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)........More
Service helps SMEs understand RoHS and WEEE
Following four years of successfully delivering comprehensive RoHS WEEE impact assessments, Dionics has developed a complementary new service called 'Scope Validator'........More
WEEE regulations postponed to 2007
Following a two-year delay, the Government has set a date for the introduction of the European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive – 1 July 2007.
The WEEE Directive requires producers and retailers of electrical equipment to recycle consumers’ unwanted goods, such as mobile phones, computers, toasters and dishwashers. Originally, the Directive was set to become law in the UK in June 2005.
“The delay is because of an extended public consultation period which will give everyone the chance to have their say,” explained a Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) spokesman. “Our priority is to get this legislation right.”
The Confederation of British Industry’s director of the environment, Michael Roberts, said: “The July 2007 deadline is achievable, but only if the process works more smoothly than in the past.
“There is a key job for the Government in harnessing the efforts of all the players involved – manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, local authorities and the Environment Agency,” said Roberts. “All businesses affected must be clearly informed of their responsibilities, and enforcement must be fair and proportionate.”
Announcing the implementation date, the Government’s Minister for Energy, 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 1 million tonnes of the stuff every year.
“To avoid putting electrical and electronic waste in our 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,” added Wicks.
According to the DTI, the obligation most likely to affect small firms is the requirement for retailers selling electronic goods to offer a take-back scheme for unwanted items. Firms will be able to run their own scheme, or arrange for a third party to take the goods providing this does not make it harder for consumers to return items.
A consultation on the implementation of the WEEE Directive is running until 17 October.
The UK's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has published its timetable for the WEEE Directive, with July 1, 2007 as the key date for introduction.
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."
Not-for-profit recycling body Repic has given its support for the publication of the UK DTI's key proposals to be introduced under the WEEE Directive. But it urged the Government to ensure that its latest round of consultation was more representative of the industry. Chief Executive Dr Philip Morton commented: 'There have been several steps in the right direction but more are needed.
We are encouraged to see that the Government has listened more carefully to stakeholders' real concerns, especially regarding free and unfettered access to physical WEEE'.
'But we believe that the WEEE Advisory Group remains incomplete in its representation of the industry by excluding major schemes such as Repic'.
Positive developments welcomed by Repic include: support in the Government's draft regulations and guidance for the structured allocation of WEEE to producers: Repic and other potential compliance schemes have formed the WEEE Scheme Forum to administer a national allocation system that would be administered at arm's length to ensure its independence.
This has received positive responses from local authorities, waste disposal and unitary authorities, some retailers and the British Retail Consortium.
In order to qualify for collection by producers, all household WEEE must pass through a designated collection facility.
It must not be 'cherry picked' for its more profitable items beforehand.
Safeguards will be put in place to prevent exploitation by deliberate over-processing.
Compliance schemes must only seek to collect WEEE to meet, not exceed, their members' obligations.
Safeguards will also be in place to reimburse schemes that inadvertently over-collect due to inaccurate allocation.
Caps will be introduced on the amount that can be traded through an exchange, the level of which is part of the consultation process.
Producers' obligation will be based on the ten categories of WEEE.
This better reflects their true obligation, rather than the Government's earlier proposal to treat all WEEE as equal.
The onus will be on producers to maximise reuse of waste equipment.
This will prevent preselection and cherry picking before the producer or compliance scheme responsible for site clearance has access to it.
Repic is actively engaged with the reuse sector and believes that reuse is a win for everyone.
A clear distinction is drawn between producer and retailer responsibility, especially where companies are both.
Producers or retailers with producer obligation can use WEEE from their own take-back activities to fulfil their obligation and make any surplus available to schemes that require it.
If a company over-processes WEEE beyond its obligation it cannot sell or trade the surplus.
A recognition of the importance of funding historic WEEE costs.
The government clearly recognises this by including a specific question in the consultation document.
Dr Morton commented: 'The intention of the regulations is clearly to minimise or eliminate trading wherever possible and requires the co-operation of all compliance schemes to make this work.
We are committed through the WEEE Scheme Forum to seek the most inclusive, low cost and fair system of allocation and have had very constructive meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, from local authorities to interested retailers'.
He concluded: 'We are heartened by the progress made to date, although some of the Government's actions do continue to puzzle us'.
'The timeline for implementation may appear to be a year but actually there is very little time to put the key structural elements in place like the DCF network and producer registration and allocation'.
'In particular, the proposed two-stage method for the provision of evidence of compliance needs further thought'.
'Repic shall continue to play a constructive role on behalf of our members in preparing for implementation of the Directive in July 2007'.
The UK Department of Trade and Industry finally launched the Draft Regulations and Guidance regarding the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive at a stakeholder meeting on 25th July 2006.
The DTI consultation period will end on 17th October 2006, and the WEEE regulations will be laid down in December.
The deadline for compliance schemes to apply for approval is 31st January 2007, and the deadline for approval of such schemes is 28th February 2007.The deadline for producers joining schemes to register is 15th March 2007, with full producer responsibility for WEEE beginning on 1st July 2007.
SGS is a specialist in the field of WEEE and can supply detailed information on the DTI schedule together with its compliance services.
Small businesses reject electronics recycling fee structure
The Federation of Small Businesses is to meet with the Environment Agency this week to discuss the role of small electronics producers under new producer responsibility legislation.
In particular, the Federation will raise the issue of fees to be imposed on small electronics producers under the legislation.
The legislation will make all electronics manufacturers or importers pay for waste equipment to be collected for recycling. It comes under Europe's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, and is expected to come into force next year.
The government has ruled out a threshold for even the smallest electronics producing companies to be exempt from the legislation, as is the case for packaging producer responsibility.
Sliding scale
The FSB is now hoping the Environment Agency will develop a sliding scale for the registration fees producers will pay to cover the monitoring and regulation of the WEEE producer responsibility system. The government has said all producers must pay £707 in fees to the Agency.
John Holbrow, environment chairman of the Federation, told us yesterday: "There should be a sliding scale for producers, preferably based on turnover – although by weight may be another option. There should be a minimal cost to those companies that have less than 0.1% of the overall obligation."
Mr Holbrow warned that if the charges remained high for small businesses, some producers would not register. He said: "Although the FSB would never condone companies not registering, it would be understood if costs were prohibitive."
The legislation to bring in producer responsibility for waste electronics is currently the subject of a major consultation, which ends in October. One area the FSB will be raising in its response to the Department of Trade and Industry is the requirement that all producers should join a compliance scheme to arrange their recycling and collection activities.
Even if producers wish to act independently of other companies, they would have to form a compliance scheme – and pay over £12,000 for the privilege.
Under the proposals, most small producers would most likely join larger compliance schemes, for which they would pay only £700 in fees as well as their share of recycling costs.
But Mr Holbrow said many small producers selling equipment to the business sector could arrange their own take-back and recycling services and therefore joining a compliance scheme would be unnecessary.
"Not possible"
The FSB environment chairman explained: "Away from the FSB, I run my own company, providing environmental monitoring systems to businesses. At the end of their life we take the equipment back because they are valuable for spare parts, we will continue to do this when the legislation starts."
He added: "For a small business with eleven members of staff it is not possible to face these kinds of costs."
The Federation does support the requirement for producers to join compliance schemes if selling equipment to householders – since collection arrangements are likely to be more complicated. However, it is calling for no requirement for business WEEE.
Mr Holbrow said: "We would like this whole situation clarified, it should not be compulsory to join a compliance scheme if it is of no benefit."
The Waste and Resources Action Programme is seeking bids for projects that will showcase the "closed loop" recycling of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
"Previous projects on recycled PET for food applications have shown that recycled materials can perform in demanding applications" - Gerrard Fisher.
WRAP The government-funded market development organisation has issued an open tender for projects demonstrating both the technical and economic viability of recycling WEEE plastics back into new electronic products.
Companies taking part will also have to show how the environmental impact of the process compares with the use of virgin plastics in making new electrical appliances.
Directive
Hopes are that the projects will drive the market for recycled WEEE plastics when Europe's WEEE Directive comes into force in the UK next year. The Directive will make electronics manufacturers and retailers responsible for collecting and recycling waste electronics .
The open tender is not just open to major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) – bids are welcome from single organisations or teams of manufacturing experts that have appropriate experience and knowledge.
Gerrard Fisher, WRAP's manufacturing development project manager, said: "By encouraging major OEMs to get involved we aim to make this an opportunity that they can continue to exploit once the project is completed.
"WRAP's previous projects on recycled PET for food applications have shown that recycled materials can perform in demanding applications, we'd like to repeat that success in the EEE sector," Mr Fisher added.
Full details of how to apply and the timetable are available on the WRAP website or by emailing amanda.brewerton@wrap.org.uk quoting the reference MDD002.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 12:30pm, Friday 25th August 2006.
(W.R.A.P. - The Waste and Resources Action Programme)
The RoHS Directive has presented the electronics industry with many high level technical challenges over recent years, including many complex process related issues. However, one of the most basic tasks that still eludes many SMEs or niche producers has been that of simply classifying their equipment. Does it fall within the scope of the legislation, and if so, where?
Until this fundamental question has been answered, producers can't even begin to explore a compliance strategy.
Following four years of successfully delivering comprehensive RoHS WEEE impact assessments, Dionics has listened carefully to thousands of smaller OEMs and developed a complementary new service called 'Scope Validator'.
Paul Chinery, Managing Director, commented: 'Since the enforcement of RoHS this summer, it has become increasingly apparent to our consultants that many smaller and medium sized manufacturers are wrongly categorising themselves with regard to RoHS (2002/95/EC) and WEEE (2002/96/EC) Directives'.
'In smaller organisations, without the manpower or budget to provide full time legislative expertise, it is often left to nonspecialist purchasing or quality functions to determine whether a product falls within the scope of RoHS, WEEE or both directives'.
'This decision making process can be complex when one considers the ambiguous nature of the legislation, especially where specialist nonconsumer equipment is concerned'.
'Moreover, it is quite common for senior management to influence any internal evaluation, mindful of additional costs that may need to be incurred'.
However, incorrect assessment could have serious implications on producers, if they are relying on inaccurate or an incomplete assessment of their equipment: Often, companies will claim an exemption that simply doesn't apply to their products, typically in the form of a 'fixed installation' or a non exclusive military application.
Other organisations have adopted exempt WEEE category 9 classification, where the inclusive category 3 more accurately reflects the products principal function (and vice versa).
It is not uncommon for some producers to be feverishly working towards compliance when they simply don't need to, as a partial, less obvious, exemption will remove any remaining source of nonconformity.
There is a common misinterpretation that network and telecommunications infrastructure equipment are exempt from both RoHS and WEEE Directives. Although an exemption exists for lead (Pb) in the solder (RoHS 5/6), they must comply in all other respects with the legislation.
In response to this, and other common misinterpretation, Scope Validator has very clear and simple objectives: to accurately define precisely which WEEE category a product fits within (revealing whether they fall within the scope of the RoHS Directive) using all available evidence and guidance from the EU Commission, governments and industry bodies, Commission Decisions and allied community legislation; to assess if any legitimate exemptions apply, and provide the evidence necessary to support their application; and to provide a clear and legislatively accurate declaration of conformity, specific to products and their applications.
'If a company has yet to define precisely where, if at all, their products fall within the scope of RoHS and WEEE Directives, or they simply need a second opinion from independent experts to validate their legislative arguments and positioning, RoHS Validator can provide immediate piece of mind', said Chinery.
The service is available to all international organisations and is performed by senior consultants who have been providing complex RoHS and WEEE interpretation
