Producer Responsibility – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

Topics:

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 is the current UK legislation. Aim to reform the current producer responsibility system for WEEE, and move towards an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model. Extended Producer Responsibility is a powerful environmental policy approach through which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-use stage.

Type of Change

WEEE is a statutory UK-wide scheme being reformed on a UK-wide basis to contribute to our resources and waste circular economy statutory obligations.

Affected Stakeholders

  • Electrical producers/retailers/distributors/online marketplaces
  • Householders
  • Councils (HWRC’s and kerbside collections)
  • Authorised treatment facilities (AATFs) handling electrical and electronic equipment       

Changes

  • Place a requirement on producers to take financial responsibility for the environmental impact of the products that they place on the market when those products become waste.
  • To look beyond recycling towards improving the design and lifecycle of equipment,
  • The introduction of a robust UK wide WEEE kerbside collection infrastructure,
  • Prevention and reuse of unwanted equipment,
  • Increasing in-store take back options,
  • Introducing new obligations for online marketplaces.

 

Status

UK wide 10 week consultation closed on 7 March 2024. Responses are currently being analysed, ahead of publication of a UK Government response.

Expected Timeline

Publication of Government response anticipated Summer 2024, legislative reforms likely from 2026.

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