The government has made an embarrassing U-turn and admitted that its implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive has been rushed in without allowing proper time for industry or local authorities to set up and ensure the operability of the required disposal and take-back facilities.

Energy minister Malcolm Wicks said: "The Directive is challenging and effective implementation of its obligations requires a lot of planning and preparation. It is vital that the producers, retailers and the waste industry, together with government, have appropriate plans, infrastructure and regulations in place.

"We have listened to the concerns expressed by both the business community and other stakeholders over the implementation process and have decided that more time is required to get the implementation right. Although any further delay is regrettable, this will ultimately deliver far greater environmental benefits."

Energy ministry officials are now working closely with Defra and the Environment Agency to form the basis of a formal consultation on draft regulations and guidance that will be published later in the year, possibly in the Spring.

Liz Parkes, head of waste regulation at the Environment Agency, said: "Whilst we are keen to see producer responsibility implemented for WEEE, we want to be confident that it will deliver real benefits for the environment. We welcome the DTI's announcement and will be supporting the policy review to ensure that the implementation imposes the minimum regulatory burden for all concerned."

The government has already announced that the DTI would meet local authority new burden costs in light of its announcement to defer the WEEE implementation.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor