The Q2 WEEE Collection data has now been released, indicating that the UK is closer to hitting the annual target.
The target for the amount of waste electricals to be collected by compliance schemes in 2021 is 503,629 tonnes, a 9% increase when compared to 2020. The latest figures are promising and show that the UK has currently reached a collection rate of 47% so far, despite the effects of the pandemic and lockdowns at the beginning of this year.
The data reveals 118,347 tonnes of WEEE were collected between April and June, which is a slight decrease of 1,880 tonnes when compared to Q1 in January to March. Despite the drop in volume of collected WEEE, the amount has nearly doubled when compared to Q2 2020 in which only 64,000 tonnes of WEEE were collected.
Small Mixed WEEE collections performing well
Collections within categories 2-10 (Small Mixed WEEE) show the volume of WEEE collected has increased by 17% in Q2 when compared to Q1. This may be the effect of the in-store take-back rules which came into play on the 1st January this year, providing consumers with more options to recycle their disused electricals. The upcoming consultation will provide further information on reforming the WEEE regulations for Small Mixed WEEE collections, especially as hoarding is an on-going issue preventing a large amount of tonnage from being recycled.
Scheme manager Lucy Drake-Lee commented “It’s great to see that Small Mixed WEEE collections have increased in comparison to Q1 despite the ongoing effects of COVID. We hope to see figures continuing to grow whilst remaining cautious that the increase could be associated with the release of WEEE which was hoarded over the 2020 lockdown periods.”
The UK has missed the WEEE collection target over the last four years. Despite the latest data showing encouraging progress, we still cannot confirm whether the national target will be reached this year.
If you have any questions about the collection targets, please do not hesitate to contact our team.