DEFRA (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has published a new consultation looking at reforms to electrical waste regulations to increase recycling levels.
In the consultation, DEFRA sets out a series of proposals aimed at making it easier for consumers to recycle unwanted electrical products outside of the existing routes of returning to a household waste recycling centre. For large items, the proposals would require retailers delivering products to consumers’ homes to take back old or unwanted products on a like for like basis without charge. There would also be new UK-wide collections of waste electricals directly from households, financed by the producers of electrical items.
Measures proposed in the consultation relevant to the convenience sector include:
- Retailers who have a turnover of over £100k per year of electrical sales would have to provide free takeback of unwanted electrical equipment in store without the need to purchase a new item. The Government is consulting on whether or not the equipment would have to be similar to that available for sale in the business, which could bring rules in line with those of battery takeback requirements.
- Retailers would have to make customers aware of the disposal options for unwanted electrical equipment at the point of sale. This could be via a poster in store, written communication on a sale receipt, or information provided verbally during a sale.
- Creating a new discrete equipment category for vapes to ensure that vape producers are paying the full cost of separate collection and recycling of vaping products.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Convenience retailers are committed to helping their customers recycle unwanted products, with many introducing recycling and return points on a voluntary basis. We will be working with DEFRA on the detail of the proposals, including concerns about the workability of a 0 for 1 return scheme of electrical items for convenience stores that have limited storage space.”
The full consultation is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/electrical-waste-reforming-the-producer-responsibility-system
The consultation period on the proposals closes on March 7th 2024. ACS will be responding to the consultation in due course.
