LONDON – The UK Department of Trade and Industry yesterday issued a timetable for implementing the WEEE Directive and “takeback” of electronics products by producers and distributors.

In a so-called Consultation Document, the DTI proposed a national distributor takeback program under which network of designated collection facilities would be established.

The DTI also called for:

• Obligatory registration for producers through approved compliance schemes.
• Authorized treatment facilities that would process WEEE and provide evidence to producers on the amount of WEEE received for treatment.
• accredited reprocessing/recycling facilities who will provide evidence of reprocessing to producers.
  An end-of-year settlement to ensure producers are able to meet their obligations.
  
• A voluntary approach for producers to show the cost of handling historical WEEE.

In announcing the Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said, “Electrical equipment is the fastest growing category of rubbish across the European Union, with around 20 kg per person produced every year, and the U.K. alone is now generating around 1m tonnes of the stuff every year.

“In announcing full producer responsibility I want to provide those businesses who have yet to take up their obligation with the certainty they need in order to plan for implementation.”

The consultation marks the beginning of the final phase of the U.K. government’s process for implementing the WEEE Directive. The proposals outlined in the consultation follow on from a review of our implementation proposals last December and have been developed through extensive consultation with key stakeholders to ensure that they are workable.”

The Consultation Document can be found at http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/. The comment period runs from July 25 until Oct. 17.