The Environment Agency have recently published data on WEEE collected throughout Q1 of 2017, providing an insight into UK performance against the WEEE collection targets set by government.
In total, 133,406 tonnes of WEEE were collected during the Q1 period which is more than 22,000 tonnes short of where we’re expected to be at this stage in the year. Importantly, if we compare this to the same period in 2016, almost 14,000 tonnes less WEEE has been collected this year so far.
LDA failing to meet expectations
Some of you may remember that during 2016 there was an overabundance of LDA (Large Domestic Appliances) and cooling appliances appearing in collection systems. This over collection was likely due to more of this type of waste appearing in WEEE collection systems, funded by producers, due to low commodity values.
The target in 2017 for LDA was correspondingly increased to take into account a likely abundance of material in the system. At first glance, one would expect 2017 Q1 LDA collections to be at least in line with 2016, especially given the issues of over collection in this material in the second half of last year, yet the 2017 collection figure is not only lower than this year’s target, but also lower than the amount of LDA collected during the same period in 2016 as well.
As a whole, whilst it appears the UK is underperforming, it should be noted that UK targets increased by 14% from 544,251 tonnes to 621,990 tonnes, and quarter one usually sees lower activity in comparison to the remainder of the year. We will have a clearer picture of UK performance emerging when the Q2 collection figures are released.
In the meantime, producer compliance schemes will be comparing the national data trends against their own individual performance to identify key areas of improvement to plan for their future fulfilment of obligations.
If you would like to discuss your WEEE compliance with our team, please contact us on 0333 4330 370 or email info@ecosurety.com.
James Champ
Lead Compliance Data Manager
Following a brief career in the legal industry, James joined the compliance team in August 2012, and since has undertaken a variety of roles in account management and scheme operations.
He now holds the role of Technical manager where he is responsible for ensuring Ecosurety and its members are compliant across the packaging, WEEE and batteries regulations. In addition, he also leads our technical service delivery team who support clients with various data projects and international compliance activities.
Useful links
The recently published Q3 collection data indicates a steady progression toward the annual target, currently reaching 76%.
Read More >>In the second quarter of 2023, the WEEE collection figures show that a total of 118,953 tonnes of WEEE has been collected from households across April – June, which is a 3% increase compared to Q1 collections.
Read More >>Across the first quarter of 2023, a total of 120,433 tonnes of household WEEE has been collected, showing a slight increase of 562 tonnes compared to WEEE collected in Q1 2022.
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