The Chief Executive of Sustainability Northwest has hit out at the Environment Agency for its "confusing" guidance over the recycling of televisions and waste electrical items at household recycling centres. Cathode ray tubes have been classified as hazardous waste since July last year and should be sent to designated hazardous waste landfills, however around 60-70% of old televisions are not going where they should be. The confusion is arising because the UK is still waiting for the start of producer responsibility under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2002/96/EC, which is now expected in July 2007.
Erik Bichard claims that as a result, local authority recycling staff have been telling householders not to separate waste electronics for recycling, which is resulting in 100,000 tonnes of lead being sent to UK landfills. However, the Agency's Head of Waste Regulation Liz Parkes doesn't believe anything needs changing. "We were aware last year that local authorities were confused, so we have worked with the National Household Hazardous Waste Forum, and made the position clear. These things need to to be separated at civic amenity sites."
In other WEEE news, high street retailer Argos has ruled out offering in-store take back services, once the WEEE Regulations come into force. Under the provisions, retailers are required to provide an adequate collection facility for householders to return electronic products once they reach end-of-life. A spokeswoman for Argos confirmed they will be looking to sign up for a compliance service which will carry out the obligations on their behalf.
