A panel of guest speakers attending a European Recycling Platform UK (ERP UK) seminar have concluded that the future of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) might lie in higher quality international recycling standards that could be achieved through product design and raising the standards of collection and treatment of WEEE products.

ERP UK’s seminar, The Future of WEEE, held on 24 June, examined collection and recycling practices from across the globe WEEE, whilst also touching on eco-design and individual producer responsibility.

Key discussion

In his speech, ‘Where are WEEE in the US?’, Dr Mike Biddle, founder and President of MBA Polymers and principal/founder of Material Solutions, presented the issues concerned with WEEE recycling in the US.

He highlighted that although the public’s understanding of businesses environmental awareness was increasing, a lack of federal legislation and the state of the economy was preventing e-waste recycling from developing further.

Biddle continued to suggest that ‘slowing global metal market’ and ‘a drying up of funding from both government and private investors’ is impeding the growth of the market for WEEE recycling in the US,

However, the importance of product design and end-of-life standards, such as the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) were cited as potential solutions.

Indeed, in Professor Rob Holdway’s speech (Co-founder and Director of eco-design consultancy firm Giraffe Innovation), the positive economic and environmental effects of eco-design were re-emphasised as well as the positive marketing messages associated with using sustainable resources, such as recycled plastic.

Representatives of the computing industry then took to the stage, with Dr Kieren Mayers, Head of Environment and Technology Compliance at Sony Computer Entertainment, suggesting that better cost allocation for recycling and the introduction of tax breaks for the use of recycled materials could work as possible solutions in the UK, however he emphasised that the legacy cost of existing WEEE needs to be addressed before focus turns towards the future.

Finally, the Director for Hewlett Packard’s (HP) environmental responsibilities in Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Dr Kirstie McIntyre, highlighted HP’s practices – especially in Kenya which lays claim to the only recycling programme to meet international standards in Africa – as valuable examples of good practice WEEE recycling programmes.

Read more about EU measures to reduce WEEE or Managing Director of ERP UK, Scott Butler’s, comment on WEEE in Resource.