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GOVT WANTS CONSUMERS TO PAY FOR ELECTRIC GOODS RECYCLING

18 Sep 2002

The UK Government is fighting a lone battle in Europe this week to try and make consumers pay for the recycling of electrical goods rather than manufacturers.

Conciliation talks on the Waste Electronic and Electrical Goods Directive are currently taking place in Brussels to decide who should pay for recycling electrical goods once they become waste. The rest of Europe wants individual producers of electrical goods to be made financially liable as this would provide a strong incentive for them to make their products more durable, repairable and recyclable. However, the UK Government argues that manufacturers should merely share the cost. This would remove incentives for better design and allow manufacturers to introduce a ‘hidden charge’ on electrical goods to pay for recycling.

The Department of Trade and Industry is leading the talks for the Government. Energy Minister, Brian Wilson is believed to have personally intervened in support of the electronic goods industry. Unfortunately it appears that Environment Minister, Michael Meacher has not made similar representations on behalf of the environment and consumers, even though the Department of Environment’s waste strategy supports “individual producer responsibility”. Producer responsibility would lead to a rise in price for shoddily produced electrical goods, with well designed, durable goods becoming more competitive.

Mike Childs, Senior Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“The UK Government wants to allow manufacturers to carry on producing poorly produced electrical goods that easily fall apart, and then make consumers pay to recycle them. This would be a shocking new consumer tax. The UK should follow the rest of Europe in forcing electrical manufacturers to pay for their products to be recycled. This would be a wonderful incentive for them to make their products more durable and easier to recycle. Once again the Government appears to be backing its business friends rather than consumers and the environment.”

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