The Department of Business Innovation and Skills has announced its release of the WEEE consultation arising from the Recast Directive. Running to just under 300 pages, including impact assessments and draft regulations, the main focus is on attempting to address the current system which places power, and additional added value, to those players who have access to WEEE at the cost of schemes who do not have such access. BIS has put forward a number of options, each with its own complexities and challenges. These options are:
• No change and continue with the current system;
• Introduce a ‘National Producer Compliance Scheme’, instead of competition between current compliance schemes;
• Setting targets for compliance schemes along with a “compliance fee” if these are not met, instead of the trading of WEEE evidence data between collection schemes, and;
• Matching collection sites to collection schemes
Meanwhile various stakeholders will be looking to analyse the wider potential ramifications on their operations and prepare their responses by the deadline of 21st June. The full consultation can be downloaded from https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-implementing-the-recast-directive-and-uk-system-changes