The Real cost of WEE

fuzzywiggle

Got this topic from Consumer Issues... so.... what is it?

Couple of pints I suppose.

singingstranger

Avonmore say it's 99c a litre...

Blush_01

Avonmore sell WEE at 99c a litre? I'll undercut them and make a fortune!

Minion, bring me my alcohol/caffeine/carbonated drinks!

Capt'n Midnight

costs more if you want a dash of red /me hangs head in shame.

Sparky

McDonalds eurosaver ftw.

Capt'n Midnight

arbeitsscheuer

God when I saw the title of this I thought we were gonna have a discussion on the price of Nintendo's up-and-coming console...

I really need to get out more.

Sparky

EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and EC Directive on the
Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances
in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS)

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was agreed on 13 February 2003, along with the related Directive on Restrictions of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).

These two landmark EU Directives on waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) entered into force on 13th February 2003.

Retailers

· Retailers will be obliged to take back at least free of charge household WEEE on a one-for-one basis i.e. replacing the equipment of similar type or fulfilling the sale function. Customers will have 15 days to return a corresponding piece of obsolete equipment. Retailers delivering large appliances will be obliged to take the obsolete equipment back immediately, if available for collection (e.g. cleaned, disconnected from utilities etc.). If the obsolete appliance is not available for immediate collection; the customer will have 30 days to return it to the retailer.


Retailer Registration

· The WEEE Directive allows for exemptions from the normal waste permitting requirements for the storage and transport of WEEE. A modified permitting regime will operate under which retailers will be required to register their premises with their local authority i.e. County or City Council. This registration system will be straightforward, with retailers required to complete and sign a form undertaking to comply with general binding rules on the environmentally sound management of WEEE and forward this with a small fee (€20) to their local authority. Local authorities may only accept WEEE from retailers who are registered.


· Subject to certain conditions retailers who have registered with local authorities will be permitted to deposit household WEEE at civic amenity sites operated by or on behalf of local authorities free of charge.
Based on the premise of producer responsibility and that improved product design can better facilitate recycling and disposal of products at end-of-life, the key aims of the WEEE Directive are to:

· Reduce WEEE disposal to landfill;

· Provide for a free producer take-back scheme for consumers of end-of-life equipment from 13 August 2005;

· Improve product design with a view to both preventing WEEE and to increasing its recoverability, reusability and/or recyclability;

· Achieve specified targets for recovery, reuse and recycling of different classes of WEEE;

· Provide for the establishment of collection facilities and separate collection systems for WEEE from private households; and

· Provide for the establishment and financing by producers of systems for the recovery and treatment of WEEE, including provisions for placing financial guarantees on new products placed on the market.


The purpose of the RoHS Directive is to minimise waste arisings of certain hazardous substances by restricting the use of certain hazardous materials, including heavy metals in electrical and electronic equipment. The RoHS Directive provides that new electrical and electronic equipment being put on the market after 1 July 2006 cannot, other than permitted trace levels, contain lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

WEEE & RoHS Implementation in Ireland

New regulations published on 6 July 2005 by Mr. Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage, and Local Government clear the way for producer-funded recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Ireland. The Regulations transpose two landmark EU Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and on the Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) into Irish law and provide the legislative framework for their implementation. The new recycling regime for WEEE commences on 13 August next as required by the Directive.

The WEEE Directive requires producers to be responsible for the financing of the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE from 13 August 2005. It means that final users of such household WEEE will be entitled to leave that waste back free of charge, either to retail outlets in instances where a replacement item is purchased, or other authorised collection points, including local authority civic amenity sites, from that date onwards.

Three sets of regulations were made by the Minister:

· Amending the Waste Management Acts 1996 to 2003 in accordance with the provisions of section 62 of the Waste Management Act 1996 in order to provide the enabling provisions under which the detailed regulations for the two Directives will operate;

· Implementation arrangements for the WEEE Directive; and

· Implementation arrangements for the RoHS Directive.

Producers

· The WEEE Directive allows producers to meet their obligations either individually or collectively. Producers will be responsible for the financing of the collection, treatment and environmentally sound management of WEEE with effect from 13 August next. The Directive requires that producers provide a guarantee for products intended for private household use and placed on the market after 13th August 2005. This is to ensure financing for the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE arising from these products at end-of-life.


· In addition to the responsibility for any new products placed on the market, all producers will have financial responsibility for the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of historic WEEE (i.e. products placed on the market prior to 13th August 2005) in proportion to their current market share as historical WEEE arises.


· The WEEE Directive allows producers to meet their obligations either individually or collectively through a collective scheme; the regulations are based on the Repak model which has been operating successfully for packaging waste recycling where the collective scheme is approved by the Minister. Any collective scheme will have to seek approval in advance of commencement of the scheme and comply with any conditions which the Minister may apply. This approval process can now proceed and will be completed this month.


Registration of Producers

The WEEE Directive requires that Member States register all producers of electrical and electronic equipment. For the purposes of fulfilling this obligation in Ireland, an industry based Registration Body, WEEE Register Society Ltd., has been established as a society under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1893-1978. It will be known as WEEE Register, the National WEEE Registration Body.


The Body will be run by an independent committee of management made up of five persons. Mr. Declan Burns, ex Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been appointed as Chairman of WEEE Register. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will have each one observer who can attend meetings of the Body, but who will not have any role in decisions taken by the Body. WEEE Register will be required to apply for approval as the Registration Body for the purposes of the legislation – the legislation allows for the operation of only one registration body – and this process will be completed shortly. In the meantime WEEE Register will operate on a non-statutory basis.
Local Authorities

· Each local authority will be obliged to maintain a register of all retailers of EEE in its functional area, accept household WEEE free of charge from members of the public, and registered retailers who take back household WEEE on a one-for one basis. Local authorities will also be responsible for enforcing the WEEE regulations pertaining to retailer responsibilities, and where appropriate, collection and treatment facilities.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

· The EPA will be will have the lead role in enforcing the WEEE regulations. These responsibilities relate to enforcement of producer responsibility obligations and, where appropriate, collection and treatment facilities. The EPA will have sole responsibility for enforcing the RoHS regulations.

Derogation

· The WEEE Directive sets collection, recovery and recycling targets, including the collection target of 4kg per person from private households, which must be achieved by 31 December 2006. Ireland has decided to avail of the derogation in the Directive which allows an extension of two-years in this deadline. Thus, the deadline which will now apply is 31 December 2008.

Sparky

Cost

· The WEEE Task Force Report on implementation of the WEEE Directive estimated that the cost of collection and treatment of WEEE would be in the region of €10 to €14m annually.

Penalties

· The maximum penalties under the Waste Management Acts are a fine not exceeding €15,000,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both.

Click on the links below to download the three sets of regulations and their explanatory notes;

SI 340 Waste Management (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2005: (PDF 340KB)

Explanatory Notes regarding SI 340 2005: (PDF 214KB)

SI 341 Waste Management (Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2005: (PDF 86KB)

Explanatory Note in respect of RoHS Regulations SI 341 2005: (PDF 49KB)


SI 290 Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2005: (PDF 129KB)

Explanatory Note in respect of the Regulations Amending the Waste Management Acts SI 290 2005: (PDF 70KB)

The relevant Irish Standard, I.S. EN 50419:2005, (Marking of electrical and electronic equipment in accordance with Article 11(2) of Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE)) may be purchased on www.standards.ie.

WEEE and the Retailer
Click here: (PDF 194KB) to access material regarding WEEE and the retailer.


Click here: (Word 69KB) to access the application form for retailer registration with the local authority.

Producer Collective Schemes for WEEE Recycling Approved
Give Scheme a Chance to Settle Down * Roche Urges Public

"I would ask for the public to show some forbearance by not rushing out to deposit their waste electrical appliances at civic amenity sites when free take back of this waste begins on 13 August next", the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. Dick Roche, T.D., said today (4 August). "The free take back of WEEE is not some time limited, once off opportunity, this new scheme is here for the long term, opening up an exciting new chapter in the development of waste recycling in Ireland. Householders who may have stockpiled WEEE should not clear out their garages and sheds straight away. The new regime involves the establishment of new structures and the putting in place of complex logistical collection and infrastructural arrangements; these need time to bed down and there would be no sense in unnecessary queues developing at civic amenity sites on the 13 August next or in the days following the start of the scheme."

The Minister was speaking when he announced that he had approved two producer collective schemes that will be responsible for managing the collection, treatment and recycling of WEEE. The schemes approved under the statutory provisions of the WEEE regulations are WEEE Ireland Ltd and European WEEE Platform Ireland Ltd. (ERP). Both companies have been approved for a period of five years. The Minister also announced that he has approved WEEE Register Society Ltd. as the National WEEE Registration Body responsible for registering producers of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and determining market share as part of the producer funded regime for WEEE recycling. WEEE Register also has responsibility for approving visible environmental management costs (EMCs) where particular EEE sectors wish to apply these. From 13 August these costs can be displayed on the price of new products to fund the recycling of 'historic' WEEE i.e. products placed on the market prior to 13 August 2005.

Minister Roche said that the vast majority of producers and retailers wished to display visible environmental management costs as provided for in the Directive. In the interests of ensuring a stable and sustainable recycling regime the Minister has decided to approve the schemes on the basis of visible EMCs, as approved for the various categories of WEEE by WEEE Register, being displayed by the members of both approved schemes. Generally this will not apply to computer equipment sold to householders.

Noting the schedule of visible EMCs which WEEE Register announced today, the Minister refuted recent claims that the display of visible EMCs will result in price rises. "This is one of the most competitive sectors of industry where prices have actually been falling. There is also a need to keep a sense of proportion: the overall cost of recycling WEEE was estimated by the WEEE Task Force at around ?14m annually in an industry with an annual turnover of ?1.6 billion. As the purpose of the visible EMC is to fund producer recycling it is clear that there will not be a significant impact on the price of EEE products to the consumer", the Minister added.

"Ultimately, the market determines the price of a product and the question of how the costs and margins are apportioned is a matter between its producer and the retailer", the Minister added.

The Minister went on to say that the consumer would benefit by not having to pay the current double charge for delivery of a new appliance and the collection of the old one. This will mean a real saving for the consumer who will also be able to bring any stockpiled WEEE to his civic amenity site where charges for depositing WEEE will no longer apply.

The visible EMC will greatly assist enforcement which is very important in the critical start-up phase of the WEEE recycling regime. In the categories for which WEEE Register has sanctioned visible EMCs it will be clear that where such costs are not displayed such a producer is non-compliant. "What we are creating is a brand new 'cradle-to-grave' recycling regime that will significantly enhance our environment and bring to an end those images we see on our TV screens of WEEE being dumped illegally. By purchasing products from compliant producers consumers will have the assurance that the WEEE is being managed in an environmentally responsible manner. I do not want to see compliant producers put at a competitive disadvantage to those who openly flout the law and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been asked to enforce the new Regulations rigorously."

The Minister said that he has written to local authority chairpersons and county and city managers asking them to ensure that they have adequate arrangements including storage facilities to cope with the increased influx which is likely to arise once free take back commences. "This is for the long haul, a permanent regime underpinned by regulations aimed at improving the environmental performance of all those who make, distribute, sell or use EEE products. All stakeholders need to ensure that the critical start-up phase is managed effectively so that the new scheme can move forward on a sound basis", the Minister concluded.


WEEE & RoHS Implementation in the UK

In 2005, the UK will seek to introduce legislation on electrical and electronic equipment in relation to its composition and the levels to which it should be recycled. This legislation has its origin in the EC Directives relating to WEEE and to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in WEEE.

On 24 March 2005 the Government made an announcement on the timetable and policy leading to implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directives in the UK. Click here to see text.

DTI leads the EU negotiations on both Directives, all of RoHS implementation and on most aspects of UK implementation of WEEE. The Environment Agency (SEPA in Scotland and EHS in NI) will be the enforcement agencies for WEEE. Responsibility for enforcement of the RoHS Directive has yet to be allocated by the DTI.

Defra leads on certain aspects of domestic implementation, including drawing up guidance on how WEEE must be treated, waste permitting, assessing producers’ compliance with the collection, recycling and recovery targets. The Environment Agency (SEPA in Scotland, EHS in NI) will enforce these aspects.

Useful links to relevant sources of information:

Irish Department of Environment, Heritage & Local Government on WEEE & RoHs

WEEE Register

ERP - approved compliance scheme

WEEE-Ireland - approved compliance scheme

Sparky

Owwwww my hands hurt

fuzzywiggle

Wow I am shocked at reading those two very brief posts

Improve product design with a view to both preventing WEEE and to increasing its recoverability, reusability and/or recyclability;

Why would one want to prevent wee? and who ever knew wee could be recycled?

and

Achieve specified targets for recovery, reuse and recycling of different classes of WEEE;

there's different classes of wee?

and most importantly

WEEE Register

Who records this wee register, ey??? Must admit that I never knew every wee I took was recorded. I feel so humiliated

Thank you, thank you Sparky

Capt'n Midnight

Sparky-s wrote:

· The WEEE Directive sets collection, recovery and recycling targets, including the collection target of 4kg per person from private households, which must be achieved by 31 December 2006. Ireland has decided to avail of the derogation in the Directive which allows an extension of two-years in this deadline. Thus, the deadline which will now apply is 31 December 2008.

What if you live in an apartment and have very few electronic goods ?

Will they be sending men in black to relieve you of 4Kg of ipods and stuff come chirstmas 2008 ??

Blush_01

[Serious Face]Yes.

And digital cameras.[/Serious Face]

Sparky

Im personally stocking up on WEEE. There seems to be different shades of WEEE
these days.