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The EU’s WEEE legislation is under review and the IT trade has a month to respond to the proposed changes.
The move would see recycling targets changed and the introduction of re-use quotas as well as strengthened enforcement measures and a reduction of administrative costs.
A review of the existing laws, undertaken by the European Commission, found that a variety of issues with the WEEE program had a negative effect on the IT trade – in particular small to medium enterprise – due to cost and the distortion of competition.
“The UK welcomes the Commission’s intention to strengthen the Directives, with further steps to limit the environmental impact of waste equipment,” said a spokesperson from the UK Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. “However, we are concerned that the WEEE proposals in particular do present some significant challenges for British businesses.
“Our consultation paper will give the electronics and ICT industries, the waste management sector, consumers and other interested parties the opportunity to inform the UK government’s understanding of the impact the changes will have, ahead of the formal negotiations in Brussels.”
