Extended Producer Responsibility for WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
We can help your business to prepare for Extended Producer Responsibility for WEEE.
The existing UK WEEE Regulations are currently being reviewed by UK Governments as part of the Resources and Waste Strategy for England.
We will make sure that our compliance scheme members are kept up-to-date with any changes and notified of consultations via customer mailings and webinars.
How Valpak can help
We expect that Defra will publish initial proposals to reform the WEEE Regulations in mid to late 2022, as part of a first period of public consultation on those proposals.
We expect the consultation to welcome responses to reform proposals on areas concerning eco-design, product labelling, kerbside collections, eco-modulation of producer fees and the obligations of online retailers amongst others.
Our Policy Department works to keep up-to-date with all new legislation and requirements that may impact our compliance scheme members, and provides information and support to all our customers via:
- Industry News Update
- Member mailings
- Provision of consultation summaries for members
- Member webinars and events
FAQs
Although the current WEEE Regulations have been largely successful in meeting recycling targets, it is hoped that reforming these Regulations will help to drive sustainable design decisions and will make it easier for consumers to make more sustainable choices.
The consultation process will explore how the Government can incentivise producers to redesign products to support a more circular economy. And clear outcomes, objectives, targets and responsibilities will need to be established to support long-term planning, investment and innovation.
It is believed that Defra’s WEEE EPR reforms will target:
- Incentivising, and in some cases mandating more sustainable, resource efficient EEE product design
- Increasing WEEE collections and recycling, particularly looking at distributors’ obligations
- Tackling the incidence of free-riding and non-compliance that has arisen as result of the growth of e-commerce in recent years
- Ensuring the new producer responsibility regime for WEEE aligns with the wider network of producer responsibility regimes in effect for other waste streams in the UK
If Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for WEEE does come into force, we’re currently looking at implementation in 2024 at the earliest.
Businesses that are obligated under the UK WEEE Regulations should be aware of the following possible changes:
- EEE Producers may have to fully fund the management of their products at end of life
- *Modulated fees, or other measures, may be introduced to encourage more sustainable design, production and purchasing decisions
However, as the consultation process is yet to take place, these are not set in stone.
*Modulated fees – The contributions liable businesses will be obligated to pay into the reformed system will increase or decrease depending on the recyclability of the products they place onto the market.
Extended Producer Responsibility is only one aspect of the legislation proposed under the packaging reform. Visit our Plastic Packaging Tax and Deposit Return Schemes pages for further information.
Our 25 years’ experience means we not only have the data knowledge and systems in place to assist with the varying requirements of this legislation, but also the experience to handle compliance on our customers’ behalf.
We can also help with EPR internationally, where regulations already exist, via our International Compliance Service.
Make an Enquiry
To find out more about how we can help your business to prepare for Extended Producer Responsibility for WEEE, contact one of our experts on 03450 682 572 or complete our enquiry form.