Neil Ferris

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Neil Ferris
Policy Officer
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Overview

• The Directive
• Local Authority Priorities
• Practical issues
• Financial issues
• Conflicts
• Opportunities
• Will LAs sign up?
• Producer/LA arrangements

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• The WEEE Directive requires that member states
  set up a comprehensive network of facilities to
  collect domestic waste equipment separately from
  other waste
• householders are offered free disposal of
  equipment for recycling. The directive sets an
  overall collection target for household WEEE of 4
  kg per inhabitant per annum.
• There are no specific targets for each of the 10
  categories

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Producer Responsibility outcomes

• Producer Responsibility schemes can give
  producers an incentive to design products in a
  way that -
• uses fewer resources
• reduces or eliminates the use of hazardous
  substances or materials in the manufacture of the
  product
• uses greater amounts of recyclate in the
  manufacture of the product
• minimises waste from the product
• can be reused
• can be more easily treated/dismantled and recycled

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Local Authority Capacity

• Over 25 Million tonnes of household waste
• over 6.5 Million tonnes delivered to CA sites
• Over 99.5 of UK households will receive a weekly
  collection of waste material
• The EA estimates 900,000 tonnes of household WEEE

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Implementation review

• Early creation of one national distributor
  deposit scheme (determined by competition)
• An adequate network should as a minimum cover a
  similar geographical pattern as the existing CA
  site infrastructure
• Code of practice group work recognised
• Local Authorities will as a last resort will
  receive reimbursement for their costs related to
  the handling of WEEE

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Local Authority Priorities
Source Defra
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UK CA Site Provision
UK CA sites Source recycle-more.co.uk
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Practical Issues

• Can all sites become DCFs?
• CA,transfer,bring
• Definition of separately collected.
• Producers storage and collection arrangements.
• Site development work.

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Practical Issues

• No LA obligation to sign up.
• Retailer take-back to continue.
• Separate arrangements for commercial and B2B.

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Financial Issues (-ve)

• Licences. (100k)
• Development/improvement costs.
• Operating Contract changes.
• Loss of income for materials.
• Additional Management costs.
• Bonus schemes.
• Vandalism/Security
• Possible penalties.
• Administrative/training costs.
• Quality and separation costs
• Orphaned sites?
• Possible changes in Govt funding.

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WEEE in Motion
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(No Transcript)
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Financial Issues

• Cost should not fall on the public sector.
• Capital costs
• Ongoing revenue cost
• Would still be least cost nationally

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Financial Issues (ve)

• Retailer offer gt 6m.
• Reduced collection/treatment costs.
• Less waste for transport and disposal.
• Govt. funding for new burdens.
• Potential for Retailer/Producer funded
  improvements.

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Conflicts

• 3 partners
• LATS
• Cherry picking
• Reuse
• Primacy
• Equality
• Scale
• Stability

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Opportunities

• Demonstrate that LAs can contribute to national
  picture.
• Demonstrate that LAs can work constructively with
  Partners.
• Greater contact with community sector and
  Industry.

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Will LAs sign up?

• Different views between Regions.
• Different funding issues between Regions.
• Unknown details are important.
• Need further guidance on specific issues.

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Will LAs sign up?

• Most sites will become DCFs.
• Regional variations.
• Not all sites will accept all materials.
• Will be more complicated and time consuming than
  you think.
• LAs will make it work.
• Will take gt3 months to make changes.
• Retailers will need to provide some facilities.

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Producer/LA Arrangements

• LAs need detail.
• Contract/Service level agreement
• Responsibilities
• Service arrangements
• Defaults
• Conflict resolution
• Costs
• Termination.
• Refer to Code of Practice

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Producer/LA Arrangements

• Legal constraints.
• LA bureaucracy
• Procurement process
• Existing contracts.
• Timescales.
• 3rd party involvement
• Model contract?

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European Parliament vision
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LARAC and WEEE

• The landfill directive is Local Authorities
  biggest waste challenge.
• WEEE is Producer responsibility legislation
• Local Authorities have a lot to offer and gain
  and the majority will sign up sites as DCF
• A managed process to the most resource efficient
  position for UK( No gold plating )
• A need for ongoing dialogue