‘Delightfully vague’ recycling announcement leaves channel confused

The channel has shunned the government’s announcement on the final phase of the implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, because of its lack of detail.

As revealed by CRN Online last week, the government announced that producers will become responsible for recycling electronic waste produced in the UK from 1 July 2007.

However, channel players are still none the wiser as to their responsibilities under the WEEE regulations.

Mike Lawrence, managing director of VAR Bentpenny, said: “The government has made absolutely no progress whatsoever. All we’ve got is a date for producer responsibility. We don’t know what’s going to happen from that date, who is going to do anything, or why anyone should. The announcement last week was delightfully vague."

Ralph Clayton, purchasing manager at distributor Steljes Trade, said: “There is certainly a lack of detail. We’re taking advice from the government web site EnviroWise, but that is just guidance.”

Although the government has announced a date for producer responsibility, no dates have been given for the implementation of the regulations.

Jon Godfrey, managing director of Lifecycle services, said: “In one sense we are moving forward with WEEE, but the detail is lacking. The government has termed its announcement very carefully.

A DTI representative told CRN: “The WEEE directive is due to become law from the end of this year, with full producer responsibility starting from 1 July 2007. Producer refers to the person who introduces for the first time the pr oduct into the UK market. This is usually either the manufacturer or importer. Second-hand sellers should therefore not be affected, unless of course they are importing second hand products from outside.”

The announcement coincided with the launch of a final consultation by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on the directive, which will run until 17 October.

Godfrey added: “The consultation is open to anyone who has a vested interest in WEEE, so resellers should get involved.”