MPs have launched an inquiry into the UK’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collection and recycling system – including challenges faced in meeting future targets.
The inquiry by the influential Environmental Audit Committee, a cross party panel of MPs chaired by the Labour MP for Wakefield Mary Creagh, will also look at potential means of increasing WEEE collections and potential fraud in the system.
MPs are interested in how public awareness of electronic waste recycling can be improved. The committee will be accepting written evidence until August 16 from any stakeholders wishing to contribute to the inquiry.
Commenting on the inquiry Mrs Creagh said: “The UK produces more e-waste than the EU average. We are missing EU targets and are one of the worst offenders for exporting waste to developing countries, who are ill equipped to dispose of it in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
“Our attitude to e-waste is unsustainable and the need for radical action clear. We will be investigating the UK’s e-waste industry and looking at how we can create a circular economy for electronic goods.”
The issue of targets is particularly pressing given the failure in meeting WEEE collection targets in recent years. Current annual targets for the collection of WEEE, are based on a target of 65% of the average annual weight of electrical equipment placed on the market over the past three years. For 2019 the household WEEE collection target is 550,557 tonnes, 12% higher than in 2018.
