WEEE Directive to become law next year

The DTI aims to have legislation in force by July 2007

The UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last week released what is hoped will be the final consultation on regulations to transpose the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive into national legislation.

Malcolm Wicks, the Minister for Energy, said on Monday: 'I will be making an announcement in the very near future regarding proposals for implementing EU the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.'

The original deadline of full implementation in the UK was 13 August 2005. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced the delay in a letter last year:
'The government has decided to implement the WEEE Directive's producer responsibility and retailer take-back obligations...in June 2006 instead of January 2006.'

The consultation papers on implementation published on 25 July come with the hope that the regulations will be transposed into UK law in December 2006 and the collection and take back regime will finally come into force in July 2007, some two years late.

The WEEE regime when fully implemented will impose regulations on producers, importers and distributors (including retailers) of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in relation to the take back and separate collection, recovery, treatment and recycling of WEEE.

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