BBC WEEE programme a wake-up call for councils

Councils need to take a more hands-on approach to checking what happens to used electrical equipment collected at their civic amenity sites to avoid being linked to the illegal export of WEEE to the developing world.

Thats the message from Dean Overton, managing director of West Midlands-based waste electronic and electrical equipment reprocessor Overton Recycling, whose comments came in the wake of a BBC Panorama programme aired this week on the illegal export of WEEE.

The show involved broken TVs which had been collected at South London civic amenity sites being incorrectly marked as fit for reuse and sent for attempted illegal export to West Africa (see letsrecycle.com story).

In light of this, Mr Overton said: The programme will have acted as a wake-up to councils, who are likely to become the recipients of calls from irate rate payers demanding to know what happens to their obsolete TVs for example.

This is can only be a positive move as too many councils are only too happy to take the easy option. This means not fulfilling their duty of care properly by visiting recycling centres for example, to see firsthand what happens to the waste equipment, he added.

Sims

Sims, which gained a major foothold in the WEEE reprocessing market with the purchase of Wincantons e-waste assets last year, also called for action to be taken to address how councils handle used EEE.

In particular, it called for action to close the loophole whereby material collected at CA sites can be sold on to a third party for reuse. Claiming this was the source of most material sent for export, it said the practice should be stopped immediately and replaced with a requirement to sell to legitimate recyclers only.

It added: At the same time a system should be introduced to allow legitimate exporters to notify the authorities in advance of shipments so that spot checks can be carried out on containers which have not been pre-notified and checks can be made on containers labelled as equipment for re-use.

Compliance schemes

Sims also claimed the relatively high number of producer compliance schemes in the UK was adding to the problem, by creating competition without robust enforcement from the government.

A spokesman said: This competition is proving unhealthy because many of the schemes place low-cost ahead of the ability to demonstrate treatment to the appropriate standards and best available technology.

This in turn is putting more pressure on the better schemes to equal these costs which is resulting in down-channel stress in the recycling sector. As well as lowering prices, this has undermined the legitimate recycling market and provided an added incentive for illegal trade.”

Enforcement action

The issues covered by the programme also prompted calls from waste industry trade body the Environmental Services Association (ESA) for tougher enforcement action to be taken against those found to be involved in illegal WEEE export activities.

ESA director of policy, Matthew Farrow, said: The illegal export of e-waste shown in Panorama is a stain on the UK’s environmental record and undermines the operations of the vast majority of law-abiding waste management companies.

He added: ESA and its members expect the environmental and law enforcement agencies to crack down on all illegal waste activity. Much tougher court sanctions on those who deliberately flout the law would be a good start.

Viridor

Viridor, which operates WEEE reprocessing facilities at St Helens on Merseyside and at Perth in Scotland, echoed comments made in the BBC programme by the University of Northamptons Dr Margaret Bates about the underground e-waste market.

The companys Scottish regional director, Colin Patterson, said: The illegal export of e-waste is unlawful, dangerous and unacceptable full stop. BBC Panorama is right to expose what Dr. Bates describes as the underground market in dealing in electronic waste.

He added: Scottish councils, companies and communities can rest assured of our stringent compliance with local, national and international regulations and to those seeking to cut corners the message is clear illegal e-waste exports wont pay.