What the recast WEEE directive means for the UK (Page 2)

 
The flip side to all this is the re-use market, which to some extent has it’s merits and should not be ignored. It provides some aid to developing countries but has to a certain extent been seen through rose tinted spectacles by many. Exporting used computers, mobile phones and the associated electronics required to maintain and use them has it’s risks, not least of which has until a few years ago been the theft of personal data. There are the added risks associated with the recycling of these goods when they themselves become waste and this simply can’t be ignored. Given the volumes being shipped to Developing countries, with all good faith, there are currently only 2 recycling initiatives in place for the whole of Africa, and both of these are woefully inadequate, lacking any signficant infrastructure.
 

 
However, the recast WEEE directive makes clear that the onus will now be on the exporter to prove that the waste is not waste but re-usable equipment. This clampdown on what has become known as “illegal export” (and was clarified as such by the EU parliament as such) will give border agencies far more power in the fight against this trade.
 

 
Whether the UK decides to implement the recast WEEE directive in the form designed by the EU, or decides to modify it to suit the UK’s current waste streams is pretty much anyone’s guess, but there’s a possibility that the current permitting (waste management licensing) system will see some reform, with the existing “Exemption” which permits the repair and refurbishment of WEEE being redrafted so that it falls outside of the WEEE system all together. This in itself would bring the UK’s permitting system in line with the recast WEEE directive. However, without increased reprocessing rates, it will result in the British Isles seeing a drop in per capita recycling rates every year as the waste electronics put back into use won’t count towards the final figures. On the flip side, only positive results will come from this reform as it will ultimately result in a tightening up of this difficult to manage waste stream, with waste ending up where it should.