WEEE collection on track to meet 2015 recycling target

By Carolina Curiel (ScrapMonster Author)

December 11, 2015 01:48:50 AM

CANTERBURY (Scrap Monster): The most recent data published by the UK Environment Agency indicates that collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is well on target to meet the recycling target set for 2015.

According to data, the collection of all household WEEE between January and September this year totaled 387,774 tonnes. The collections of WEEE have reported an increase of nearly 5% when compared with the collections during the first three quarters in 2014. The collection of certain categories of WEE including Lighting equipment, Automatic Dispensers, Photovoltaic panels and Gas Discharge Lamps and LED Light Sources have already exceeded the total target set for the entire year 2015. Going by the current rate, the collection is expected to exceed the government collection target of 506,878 tonnes ie., the equivalent of 43% of total EEE sales in 2014.

Meantime, the volume of new electrical and electronic equipment placed to the market during the initial nine-month period of the year has increased by over 15% when matched with the previous year. A total of 971,311 tonnes of new EEE were placed onto the market during this period, significantly higher by 128,686 tonnes when compared with the corresponding period in 2014. This would mean that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will have to collect significantly higher proportion of WEEE. The recycling collection responsibility may rise from 507,000 tonnes in 2015 to 557,000 tonnes in 2016. The government had set a statutory recycling target of 46% for 2016.

In the UK, original manufacturers of electronic and electrical equipment need to fund the recycling of devices sold by them.