The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has finalised the 2022 collection targets for household Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), confirming the amounts that producer compliance schemes must collect and send for recycling on behalf of their members.

WEEE

For 2022, the overall target has been set at 511,377 tonnes – a 20,836 tonne (or 4.25 per cent) increase from collections reported in 2021. It is also 7,748 tonnes higher than the 2021 target.

The annual target is allocated across the 14 categories of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE), including small domestic appliances and lighting equipment.

When setting the targets for this year, Defra did not take collection data from 2020 into consideration, stating that they year was classed as ‘extraordinary’ for collections, due to widespread closures of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to compliance scheme Ecosurety, this year’s more ambitious targets reflect ‘that, with no lockdowns imminent, collections of WEEE are expected to increase’.

2021 marked the fifth consecutive year in which the UK missed its household WEEE collection targets, although last year’s levels did represent a marginal increase towards the threshold compared to previous years, with household collections only 2.6 per cent (13,088 tonnes) below target.

According to Ecosurety, Defra ‘will be looking to address the gap between targets and actual WEEE reported as recycled in the system’, in its upcoming consultation on reforming the WEEE producer responsibility system. The compliance scheme also noted that ‘as producers effectively fund recycling via their chosen compliance schemes, there will be an increase in their market share obligation due to the increased targets for this year’.

Responding to this year's targets, Louise Grantham, Chief Executive of REPIC, commented: “We recognise that setting WEEE collection targets is difficult due to the complex relationship between EEE placed on the market and WEEE available for collection.

“Defra has taken a pragmatic approach when setting the 2022 targets; taking six years collections data into account to look at trends, excluding 2020 data due to the extraordinary impact of Covid-19, and consulting with industry on category specific issues requiring consideration. However, reaching some of the category targets, particularly the overall 12 per cent increase for the Small Mixed WEEE categories, will continue to be challenging.”

“In setting the Small Mixed WEEE targets, Defra has considered the potential full year impact of compulsory in store take back of WEEE and the Recycle Your Electricals consumer information campaign, now the vast majority of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. However, there is no guarantee these initiatives will result in increased WEEE collections. Based on our own consumer survey last year, almost two thirds of the market have acquired a small household or kitchen appliance in the past 12 months, while just over a third have disposed of one.

“Unfortunately, we are also in the midst of a challenging and volatile economic period and it is difficult to assess the impact this may have on the achievement of the targets. The forthcoming WEEE consultation will provide the opportunity to examine the evidence base and the role of targets in achieving a circular economy.”

Explaining missed targets

Speaking to Resource about why, in REPIC's view, the UK has missed its WEEE household collection targets for the past five years, Grantham said: “WEEE is unlike most other household waste streams. The same type of product may have a very different route before ultimately arising in the waste stream. Even though the UK targets take into account previous years data with respect to analysing what has been put on the market and what has been reported as collected WEEE, it is difficult to predict what will actually arise as WEEE in a given year. Purchased products are not always replacement products, and even when they are the consumer can choose to give the product away, sell it for further use, or donate it for repair or refurbishment, or retain it within the home.

“The pandemic further illustrated this. In 2020 and 2021 the tonnage of EEE placed on the market increased by 10.2 per cent and 14.7 per cent respectively, when compared to 2019, yet WEEE collections fell.

“Consumer behaviour is a principal factor in determining the amount of WEEE available for collection, and consumer research contributes to better understanding the fate of WEEE. Based on our own consumer survey last year, UK households who were asked about purchasing new EEE and disposing of electricals in the past 12 months, reported that ten per cent had acquired a large fridge/freezer, whereas only five per cent had disposed of one. A similar ratio was reported for coffee machines, six v three per cent, and dishwashers, four v two per cent. For less frequently used items, such as sandwich makers, blenders and mixers, the difference was even greater.”

“In a constantly fluctuating market, where many market and economic factors such as residual material value can impact significantly on both WEEE arising and the routes through which it passes, the absence of a mandatory reporting obligation for all actors that can influence the amount of WEEE collected in the official system, means that many used EEE and WEEE flows are not counted. These can be legitimate and beneficial flows that we should encourage, such as reuse and refurbishment, or activities such as component theft and illegal export that we want to prevent.

“As we move into more circular economy practices, the practice of setting collection targets based on WEEE will only get more challenging. It is increasingly important that we think of the WEEE system as a whole and how different incentives and requirements could be used to deliver a circular economy.”