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WEEE Consultation Outcomes Published by UK Government

On 10th of December 2024, the UK Government published outcomes to the consultation and call for evidence on reforming the UK WEEE Regulations, which were held over December 2023 – March 2024. 

The UK Government consulted to gather evidence from stakeholders on reforming the UK WEEE Regulations, with proposals that aim to increase levels of separately collected WEEE for re-use and recycling, and to ensure that producers and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) finance the full net cost of collection and proper treatment of equipment that end up as waste (WEEE). The proposals also aimed to incorporate circular economy principles to incentivise the design of EEE products to have a lower environmental impact and last longer. 

The UK Government consultation outcomes outline the areas of reform that will be taken forward into the UK WEEE Regulations and summarise stakeholder responses. The outcomes can be found here: 

At this stage, UK Government has agreed to take forward two areas of reform. These are:  

   1. A new category for vapes: 

A new category for vapes will be introduced, to ensure fairness in the financial obligations that producers have. Vapes are currently reported under category 7 of the regulations which covers toys, leisure and sports equipment. Vapes are expensive to collect, treat and recycle, and currently the cost of dealing with vapes is being subsidised by producers placing other types of category 7 EEE on the UK market. 

This measure will be introduced into the Regulations in 2025 and come into effect for the 2026 compliance year, with a separate 2026 collection target for the new category. 

   2. New obligations for Online Marketplaces 

Online marketplaces will be required to contribute to the cost of collection, treatment, re-use, and recycling of WEEE in line with the obligations that currently apply to companies defined as producers within the existing regulations. This new requirement will apply only in respect of EEE placed on the UK market by their overseas based sellers. 

This measure will be introduced into the Regulations in 2025 and come into effect for the 2026 compliance year, with online marketplaces required to join a Compliance Scheme, pay a regulator registration fee, and report the amount of EEE placed on market by their overseas sellers, for the 2026 compliance year. 

Other proposed areas of reform: 

The UK Government will continue to consider all other proposals set out in the consultation and call for evidence, and will set out their response to them in 2025.  

The UK Government is appointing a Circular Economy Task Force which will create a circular economy strategy for England, and the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Irish Government also planning to set out strategic priorities for driving a circular economy in 2025 also. It Is expected that the other WEEE reform proposals will be incorporated into these circular economy strategies to be published in 2025. 

Whilst the other proposed areas of reform have not been approved by the Government at this stage, the stakeholder responses summarised in the outcomes give us some indication as to which could be taken forward. We’ve summarised the key findings below from the consultation & the call for evidence. 

Consultation stakeholder responses:  
  • Small household WEEE collections: 64% agreed that that the proposal for producers & distributors without takeback services to finance collections of small WEEE from households would decrease levels of WEEE in residual and fly-tipped waste and drive up levels of WEEE for recycling. 
  • Large household WEEE collections: 68% agreed that producers and distributors without takeback services should finance the collection of large WEEE.
  • Scheme administrator: 44% agreed that a producer-led scheme administrator should be approved to determine the most practical and efficient delivery of household collections of small and large WEEE.
  • UK Government’s financial impact assessment: Only 15% agreed with the assessment of financial implications of these proposals above contained within the Impact Assessment. 46% were unsure and 39% disagreed. Many respondents thought the costs estimated were too high and that the evidence was limited and outdated. 
  • Thresholds: 66% disagreed that the threshold of placing less than 5 tonnes of EEE on the market for exemption from financial obligations was appropriate.  
  • Collection on delivery distributor takeback: 76% agreed that retailers and sellers of large domestic appliances should provide a free of charge ‘collection on delivery service’, of these large appliances. With 66% of respondents agreeing that this should also extend to smaller items. 83% also agreed that kitchen retailers selling appliances as part of a new kitchen should have an obligation to take away old appliances for free of charge. 
  • Large retailer distributor takeback: 60% agreed that the obligation for large retailers (with annual EEE sales over £100,000 across all channels) to take-back appliances on a 1:1 basis (like-for-like) should be extended to 0:1, removing the requirement to purchase an item for the take-back obligation to apply. To make it easier for customers to dispose of any unwanted electricals. But 75% agreed that this extended obligation should be subject to reasonable limits in quantity and likeness to EEE sold in store. 
  • Internet seller distributor takeback: 59% agreed that there should be an alternative obligation to 0:1 takeback for internet sellers, such as paying into a scheme to support increased levels of collections for reuse and recycling. 
  • Information provision to customers: 89% agreed that the current information provision requirements should be enhanced to ensure that customers are provided with sufficient information about their recycling and disposal options at the point of sale. 
  • Online marketplace or fulfilment house distributor takeback: 81% agreed that online marketplaces and fulfilment houses should have take-back obligations where they facilitate the supply of EEE to the householder. 
Call for evidence stakeholder responses: 
  • Reuse collection targets & data: 73% agreed that there should be higher weighting to tonnage collected by PCSs for reuse towards their collection targets. To incentivise greater reuse. 83% also agreed that retailers and local authorities should provide data on how much equipment is received at their collection facilities which is diverted for reuse. 
  • Free collections for charities: 88% agreed that PCSs should provide free collection services to re-use charities and charity retail sector for equipment deemed as unsuitable for reuse. Removal of a cost barrier to the charity retail sector. 
  • Eco-modulation for producers: 54% agreed that eco-modulation should be introduced to the UK WEEE compliance system, to incentivise sustainable product design. There were calls for further research and engagement with industry, and that sustainable product design objectives should be achieved through eco-design regulations, rather than the WEEE Regulations.  
  • Labelling: 61.5% agreed that eco-modulation should be supported by mandatory labelling on the extent that the product has met eco-design criteria. 
  • Circular economy business models: 52% agreed that products on the market via circular economy business models should be exempt from collection and treatment obligations, as they will be financially responsible for the product when it becomes waste. 
  • B2B WEEE system: 64% disagreed that the current B2B WEEE system is effective at enabling end-users to return WEEE to the producers for proper treatment.
  • Extend B2B producer responsibility: 72% agreed that producer responsibility principle should be extended to the premises of the business end-user. 66% also agreed that there are circumstances where individual producers should be responsible for the cost of collection and treatment of product they place on the market when they become waste, such as products supplied via circular business models or heavy EEE above a certain threshold.
  • Banning sending whole EEE items to landfill or incineration: 99% agreed that there should be a ban on producers and distributors sending whole items of EEE to landfill or incineration, for purposes such as surplus stock. 
  • Recovery & recycling targets: 98% agreed that recovery and recycling targets should be reviewed to ensure they are fit for purpose. 91% agreed that AATFs should be required to annually report the extent to which they meet recovery and recycling targets, supported by an independent audit. 70% also agreed with introducing distinct recovery targets for specific materials such as critical minerals.

Beyondly will continue to monitor any developments to the reform of the UK WEEE Regulations to keep our members informed. If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts with us, please contact your account manager or drop a line to our team on weee@beyond.ly