The WEEE Initiative (the recycling of Waste Electrical and Electonic Equipment) has been very successful in the Republic of Ireland, shifting the financial burden of recycling onto the producer of the goods. Not so in Northern Ireland and Britain, where the initiative has yet to be implemented. It is now something of a hot potato for the Dept of Trade and Industry (DTI) and in particular for the UK's Minister for Energy, Malcolm Wicks.
Below is a piece from
http://www.letsrecycle.com/legislati...jsp?story=5694
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"Minister hits back at criticism over WEEE consultation (07.06.06)"
DTI minister Malcolm Wicks hit back last night at industry criticism of the way the government has handled implementation of the WEEE Directive.
Mr Wicks accused some companies of trying to "dodge" producer responsibility.
The minister's comments came on BBC Radio 4's nightly World Tonight news programme, which also featured an interview with Graham White, chief executive of the Hoover Candy group.
The programme came after industry association AMDEA wrote a scathing letter to the DTI concerning the Department's work transposing the WEEE
During his interview, Mr White said: "We have been trying to consult with government for a number of years and every time we do, they don't seem to understand."
The Hoover Candy chief executive insisted that industry "wholeheartedly does everything it can that protects the environment."
But, he warned that industry was not prepared to pick up all the costs of recycling old equipment perhaps placed on the market by companies that have since gone out of business. He said placing a visible fee on the sale of new equipment during a transitional period was a "good idea", and was being used in other European countries.
Mr White said that the industry was "all for the WEEE Directive as far as recycling of waste was concerned. Companies were now designing products that could be recycled."
He claimed that a visible fee would not hit the consumer as they already pay through charges levied by local authorities to take large items away. "I think you do pay already. My wife paid £20 to our council to have a fridge taken away," he said.
Responding to the claims, Mr Wicks said: "We have been listening a great deal – we've just finished a consultation period and I met with representatives myself only a few weeks ago. I don't understand this idea we haven't been consulting."
"We all know that a lot of electrical equipment isn't disposed of properly for recycling. Manufacturers must show a bit of responsibility."
Concerning the visible fee idea, Mr Wicks said the EU Directive was a producer responsibility measure, and that meant the responsibility for recycling had to be placed on the manufacturers.
He said: "A lot of producers are showing that sense of corporate responsibility and I think it is a little bid sad that some manufacturers are coming up with all sorts of arguments to frankly dodge the responsibility they should take on.
"The public mood is changing – we are all concerned about global warming and climate change, and we're all recycling now. Producers that show responsibility will win the hearts and minds of customers."
Mr Wicks also rebutted the suggestion by the Hoover chief executive that implementation of the Directive in the UK could drive production abroad. He pointed out that the WEEE Directive operates throughout the EU.
http://www.letsrecycle.com/legislati...jsp?story=5694