| 15/12/2005
- The Environment Agency said today (Thursday) that it supported
the decision by DTI to review progress in implementing the
EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.
Environment Agency Head of
Waste Regulation Liz Parkes said:
“The UK is already making good progress
on recycling large items of household WEEE. We strongly
support the additional push that the WEEE Directive will
give, particularly upstream with producers who will have
to take responsibility for financing and arranging take
back. But it is vital that the new controls achieve the
right outcomes for the environment and help close some
of the existing gaps that can lead to illegal export,
for instance. We want this to be achieved in a way that
doesn’t impose unnecessary regulatory burden on business
or local authority.
“We believe it is prudent of Government
to ensure it has the right systems and procedures in place
for effective management of WEEE – business and household
– through all sections of the disposal chain, before it
introduces new regulations.
“We had geared up to register producers
of WEEE in line with DTI’s previous proposals, but will
put these plans on hold whilst we support Government on
its policy review.
“We don’t think the delay is bad news
for business or the environment – local authorities already
have to manage separately collected hazardous WEEE responsibly
and new treatment capacity is becoming available. Making
sure that hazardous waste goes to the right place is a
priority for us.” |
