A total of £3.3 million collected from the WEEE compliance fee in 2018 will be used to support projects to boost the levels of reuse and recycling of waste electrical goods.
The fee was set up as an alternative means for electronic goods producers to meet their obligations to fund the recycling of WEEE, if they have not been able to meet their WEEE collection targets.
Money collected through the fee is used to pay for research, pilot schemes or communications initiatives aimed at boosting WEEE collections.
For 2017, more than £7 million was collected through the fund, which is being used to a series of projects including a study on the end destinations of electrical and electronic equipment at the end of life, to support efforts to increase the capture of WEEE. The research will examine ‘unreported’ recycling of waste electricals.
Commenting on the latest round of WEEE funding, Scott Butler, WEEE Fund Manager, said:
“While the first phase of technical research was focused on pressing research needs, this next phase gives us the opportunity to explore whether the Fund can support and pilot innovative collection models, support more effective enforcement and recycling efficiency.
“Further, we will explore whether we need to complement our public communications campaign with one focused on targeting businesses.”
