WEEE regulations guidance published by BIS

Businesses have received help to prepare for the upcoming modifications to the WEEE system, in the form of guidance on the applicability of the new regulations issued by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Collect and Recycle (http://www.collectandrecycle.com) can report.

The guidance, which was released on Friday, November 1, is aimed at such organisations as electronics producers, retailers, local authorities, waste management firms, WEEE recyclers and producer compliance schemes. In addition to outlining the scope of WEEE regulations that will apply from January 1, it informs businesses on how they can ensure compliance.

BIS explained in the guidance how the obligation of each producer compliance scheme will be calculated. It stated that by March 31, schemes will be informed of their collection requirements, which are in proportion to the amount of new material that their members place on the market.

What has not yet been finalised, however, is the methodology used to set the compliance fee, which will need to be paid by schemes in the event that their individual collection targets are not met. BIS has told these WEEE recycling stakeholders that approval of a methodology is set to take place during the compliance period.

BIS said that the methodology would incorporate the various costs associated with WEEE disposal, collection, treatment and recovery. This will be followed by the re-investing of the funds from this process in the collection network, with a view to a heightening of collection rates through local councils.

Also covered by the guidance is how electronics goods distributors will be required to meet their obligation to provide takeback facilities for small WEEE items with a length of less than 25cm. They will need to offer their customers free of charge takeback, either in store or through the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS).

Local authorities can expect an electronic recycling regime with a broadly similar impact to the present one under the new regulations, according to BIS, except that councils will now also be able to opt to self treat specific WEEE streams deposited at designated collection facilities (DCFs).

BIS will require notification by January 31 from local councils intending to self-treat one or more WEEE streams. In addition, such authorities will need to supply tonnage data for the WEEE stream collected at the relevant DCF in the previous year.

It was last month when BIS first revealed changes to the administration of the system for financing WEEE collection and treatment. The changes were designed to address producer concerns about the costs of complying with the regulations not reflecting the true cost of electrical waste recycling, as well as to bring the recast EU WEEE Directive's requirements into UK law.

Get in touch with Collect and Recycle (http://www.collectandrecycle.com) for more information about our cost-effective, fast and fully compliant computer recycling service, also encompassing the disposal of TVs, photocopiers, printers, TVs and more.

Editor’s Note: Collect and Recycle (http://www.collectandrecycle.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.