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WEEE regulations Update. LOUISA HATTON Technical Advisor (Producer Responsibility). Current Producer Responsibility regimes in the UK. Packaging Waste (since 1997) The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 End-of-life Vehicles (since 2006)
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WEEE regulationsUpdate LOUISA HATTON Technical Advisor (Producer Responsibility)
Current Producer Responsibility regimes in the UK • Packaging Waste (since 1997) • The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 • End-of-life Vehicles (since 2006) • The End of Life (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005 • Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (since July 2007) • The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006
Why a WEEE Directive? From the Directive: “The amount of WEEE generated in the Community is growing rapidly. The content of hazardous components in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is a major concern during the waste management phase and recycling of WEEE is not undertaken to a sufficient extent.”
UK Implementation • the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2006 - UK SI.2006 No. 3289 - cover product marking, take-back and recycling obligations, etc for the UK • the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Waste Management Licensing) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 SI. 2006 No.3315 - cover treatment and site licensing in England and Wales - separate provisions for Scotland and Northern Ireland
Amendment Regulations • The WEEE (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (SI 3454) have come into force; • these correct a few typographical errors in the 2006 Regulations, clarify some issues and change some deadlines for compliance period 2 (e.g. for issuing evidence)
Who’s affected? • ‘Producers’ of electrical or electronic equipment (EEE); • distributors of household EEE; • WEEE storage and refurbishment sites can register new exemptions from Waste Management Licensing; • treatment sites have new treatment standards to meet; • local authorities can put forward their sites as ‘Designated Collection facilities’ (DCFs); • business end-users will have obligations to finance the treatment and recycling of their WEEE in some circumstances
Packaging v WEEE • producers can only register with a Producer Compliance Scheme • no de minimis for producers • no group registration • treatment and recovery obligations • funded by manufacturers, importers and re-branders • separate funding for household and non-household equipment • producers can register with us or a Producer Compliance Scheme • 50t or £2m turnover de minimis • group registration • recovery obligations • funding shared across the packaging supply chain from manufacturers of packaging materials through to sellers of packaged goods • no distinction between household and business packaging
Stats • ~ 4,850 producers registered • ~1.5mt of household EEE and 0.5mt of new equipment declared • 40 Producer Compliance Schemes • ~170,000t of WEEE separately collected in first 6 months • ~106,000 hits on our WEEE home page last year
Issues • Trading between compliance schemes • Evidence of recovery and recycling • Scope • Freeriders • Waste management licences and WEEE modifications • Data reporting
What are we trying to achieve? • diversion of waste from landfill; • removal of hazardous components / substances; • improved standards of operation at treatment sites; • higher levels of recycling • no increase in fly-tipping or illegal export of WEEE