10 Jun 2009
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of firms in the e-waste industry say they expect poor public awareness to remain one of their biggest challenges for the year ahead, according to a survey by the European Recycling Platform (ERP).
Low public awareness of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive has been an issue over the past year for 84 per cent of recyclers surveyed, and firms are worried the same problem will affect obligatory battery recycling when it is introduced in 2010.
But nearly half of firms (44 per cent) say they want government-mandated battery collections to start as soon as possible to help their businesses and a further 39 per cent are happy with the chosen 1 January 2010 start date.
Scott Butler, ERP’s general manager, said recycling firms are clearly enthusiastic about national battery recycling.
“But they are concerned that low public awareness will be an issue, as it has been for WEEE,” he said.
“Once the government chooses battery recycling schemes in the autumn, the schemes will have to get up and running very quickly.”
Nearly half (47 per cent) of recyclers are also concerned about the development of battery recycling networks.
The current recycling rate for batteries in the UK is estimated at just three per cent. The EU directive sets a recycling target of 25 per cent of all batteries sold by 2012 and 45 per cent by 2016. Around 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of batteries are sold in the UK every year.
A survey last month by Dell found that the UK had one of the worst technology recycling rates in Europe.
Yes, public awareness is an issue. Focusing on red-tape and the cost will always make responsible disposal seem a headache for organisations.
So often, there is additional return on investment for the organisation through re-deployment, or re-sale, and then for the equipment which is truly end-of-use; there is the option to donate to worthy (and credible) ICT charities through programmes like the Digital Pipeline.
http://ewasteuk.blogspot.com/
Posted by: e-Waste UK 22 Jun 2009
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive may be touted as a cost for suppliers, but unless organisations get their asset registers in order, it will also create a significant cost for UK business. The disposal of commercial IT equipment need not be a complicated headache. The key to WEEE compliance lies in a well managed asset register.
Such policies as WEEE assume a level of asset management far beyond that achieved by the majority of UK business. Unless supplying a like for like replacement, suppliers will only remove and dispose of equipment they have delivered initially. How many UK businesses can accurately identify the location of their WEEE equipment within the organisation and confirm when it was purchased and from whom? Without such information, just which company do they expect to handle the free disposal?
Organisations need to implement sound asset disposal procedures. Linking the asset register to a document management system will ensure a scanned WEEE certificate is linked to a disposed asset, providing the required audit trail. Each asset can be recorded alongside the supplier's name and email address, enabling swift supplier contact when disposal is due.
UK business is already complaining about excessive red tape, perhaps why the WEEE Directive introduction in July 2007 was so downplayed. But a belief that the onus of WEEE is firmly on equipment suppliers could be an expensive mistake.
Yours faithfully,
Karen Conneely
Group Commercial Manager
Real Asset Management
www.realassetmgt.co.uk
Posted by: Karen Conneely 15 Jun 2009
Have your say on this article
Newsletters
Latest stories from Management
You may also like
Management jobs
Technology Patent Wars
Case studies from large organisations across all sectors
... And rich media, and flexible working, and peaks in traffic ...
Upcoming Events
Join us for this Computing web seminar, in which the Head of BI at the Co-operative Group Nick Colebourn will be explaining just how he reigned in the Group’s sprawling database estate and how significant savings were realised and data quality improved as a result.
Date: 31 May 2012
Time: 11:00 AM
Live June 13th 11:00am: Register now. During this web seminar we will be looking at the sorts of incidents that can bring data centres grinding to a halt and what can be done about them.
Date: 13 Jun 2012
Time: 11:00 am
Receive the latest jobs direct to your inbox
Are you being paid what you are worth?
