News

WEEE Regulation amendments for 2010 (23/12/2008)

The Department of Business for Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) announced on the 19th December a consultation on the UK WEEE Regulations aimed at streamlining the current structure and reducing administrative burdens.

This consultation follows a review of the WEEE Regulations announced by the former Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks, on 9 July 2008.  Since then BERR has been working with representatives of producers, distributors, local government, and waste management industry together with the WEEE Advisory Body (WAB) in preparing the consultation document. The proposals in the consultation build on the experiences gained during the first two compliance periods of the UK WEEE system and aim to:

• Improve the Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS) approval process by introducing open-ended authorisation for schemes and annual scrutiny of their operational plans
• Develop the Distributor Take-Back Scheme (DTS) beyond its current approval period to offer retailers an alternative to in-store take-back of unwanted electrical products
• Reduce the administrative burdens placed on business by simplifying the data reporting requirements and evidence system.

Views are also sought on:

• The development of the Code of Practice for the Collection of WEEE from Designated Collection Facilities (DCF)
• The extension of duty of care in regard to non- household WEEE
• The most effective routes to develop industry protocols for WEEE
• The further development or revision of The Guidance on Best Available Treatment Recovery and Recycling Techniques (BATRRT

Launching a consultation on proposed revisions to the UK WEEE regulations, Business and Economic Minister, Ian Pearson said:

"We are now almost eighteen months into the UK WEEE system and I am very pleased to see that some real and impressive achievements have been made. Now is an appropriate time to consider the lessons we have learned and look at how we can revise the regulations in order to move forward.

My priority is to streamline the system and build on the successful implementation of the existing regulations, while reducing the administrative burden placed on businesses by the requirements for demonstrating compliance."

The consultation closes on the 6th April 2009. BERR envisage the revised regulations being laid before Parliament in Spring of 2009, coming into force in time for Producer Compliance Schemes to seek approval to operate under the new regulations from 1st January 2010.

The BERR consultation can be downloaded from the Members section of the Budget Pack website.

Please let us know your comments or questions on the consultation by calling us on 0845 094 2228 or email WEEE@budget-pack.com