There are 38 competing Producer Compliance Schemes (PCS) operating under the WEEE regulations – almost as many as the whole of the rest of Europe. David Burton, Project Director of B2B Compliance, gives his views on recent BIS data relating to local authority collections. “With many local authority waste arrangements now under long term PFI contracts it was clear years ago, to anyone with knowledge of the sectors involved, that there would be a conflict between those who ‘own’ WEEE and Producer Compliance Schemes who need evidence of its collection and recycling to meet targets. Where Producer Compliance Schemes are owned by, or allied to, waste management companies there is a multi-million pound trading market in supplying evidence to other Compliance Schemes which are ‘Producer’ owned. There is, however, little attraction for local authorities to change, ostensibly, zero value contracts from one compliance scheme to another if, indeed, they have the power to do so on the basis they haven’t privatised their waste disposal. So we are now seeing various schemes fighting for control of a diminishing number of true local authority contracts or paying the commercial price to ally themselves with commercial waste contractors. The strategy of B2B Compliance, in supporting innovative collections outside of the ‘local authority’ system means that we have consistently been able to provide best value compliance for our members and have strategically positioned ourselves to protect their interests into the future”.