The WEEE directive in Ireland: information flows and compliance control

Abstract

The introduction of Council Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) marked the end of a long and complex process aimed at putting in place legislation to manage WEEE, one of eight priority waste streams identified by the European Union. Although the legislation is based on the premise of producer responsibility, many of the WEEE Directive’s provisions will have a downstream impact on other parties or individuals including commercial retailers, the waste management industry and Government representatives at the local, regional and National levels. The Directive requires Member States to take the necessary measures to ensure a minimum rate of separate collection of WEEE from private households and to ensure all WEEE is collected separately and managed in an environmentally sound manner. To this end, Member States must ensure producers meet specific targets for recovery and component, material and substance reuse and recycling. In order to calculate targets as well as track implementation generally, information on the quantities and categories of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market and WEEE collected and reused, recycled and recovered must be compiled and reported on a periodic basis. This is complicated by other provisions contained in the Directive, including the distinction of ten different categories of WEEE and different financing provisions depending on whether the WEEE originates from private households. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the information, record-keeping and reporting requirements associated with the pending implementation of the WEEE Directive in Ireland. A number o f important, if not critical considerations in the establishment of an effective WEEE reporting system have been identified, including several potentials for errors, omissions or duplications. Recommendations are provided to address some of the issues identified, as are suggestions for further work, including collective consideration of certain issues by relevant stakeholders. In light of the above, a relatively simple, albeit standardised regulatory reporting system is recommended. Attention should be focused on making and continuing improvements to existing waste statistics and the associated reporting systems and to increasing awareness of the WEEE Directive and waste reporting requirements, generally. Having a centralised reporting system and limiting the number of categories of WEEE for which detailed monitoring is required would greatly facilitate the compilation of data, although sampling exercises and compositional surveys would still be necessary. This requires the active engagement of public and private sector stakeholders at a National level.