The European WEEE Directive sets targets for the recycling and recovery of separately collected electrical equipment. Although it places refurbishment and re-use of equipment above recycling and equipment, the Directive does not currently include specific targets on re-use.
Speaking at a Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce's event in London this morning, Chris Tollady of the DTI's sustainable development unit said that the government expects re-use targets to be added to the Directive when it is reviewed in 2008.
”There is a strong prospect that we will have a re-use target in the next revision of the Directive“
-Chris Tollady, DTI
“Re-use is emphatically part of the Directive. The Directive makes very clear that the re-use of electrical equipment is a priority but there are not any targets,” he said. “.”
Mr Tollady said the DTI included a section on re-use in its last consultation, which closed earlier this month, to seek views on how to promote re-use over recycling.
“One of the specific suggestions is for the industry compliance schemes to include in their business plan how they prioritise re-use,” he explained.
Also at the launch, Joy Boyce, head of corporate affairs for Fujitsu Services, said that electrical goods manufacturers are expecting targets to be set on the amount of re-use.
She said: “There isn't a target for the amount of re-use in the Directive but it looks like there will be when it is revised in 2008.”
Ms Boyce, who is also chairman of the trade association Intellect's health, safety and Environment coordinating committee, added that re-use organisations were likely to benefit from the increased amount of WEEE being separated by businesses and householders when the WEEE Directive is implemented this summer.
“I do not think we need to worry, there will be more that comes out of the system for re-use. The government supports re-use and we welcome that,” she said.
WEEE Man
At the event, the RSA unveiled its plans to build a sculpture on London's Southbank made out of three tonnes of waste electrical equipment.
The sculpture will take the form of a three storey-high head, representing the amount of electrical goods the average person throws out in their lifetime, and is aimed at raising public awareness of WEEE issues.
Sir Paul Judge, RSA chairman, explained: “It will be a stark reminder to people of the waste we produce.”
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