Major research is being undertaken to examine the ‘unreported’ recycling of waste electrical equipment, which may take place outside of the official WEEE system.
The project is being funded through the WEEE Compliance Fund, which is collected from compliance schemes that have been unable to meet their collection targets.
It will look at activities including second-hand sales, reuse and repair, undocumented storage and export, illegal disposal and incorrect administration.
This could pave the way for more WEEE handled through these channels to be reported towards WEEE recycling targets.
Expected to be completed by the end of the year, the research will calculate potential WEEE generated for major product types and prioritise areas for further research.
