Recommendation 3

HM Government Not Addressed

We thank the Committee for their recommendation around setting longer-term targets and we understand the case for action in this area in terms of creating greater certainty for businesses and investors. As the Committee will be aware, setting household collection targets is a mechanism which enables us to place financial obligations on producers to maximise the amount of WEEE that is collected and properly treated for reuse or recycling. This is achieved as producers will either meet this financial obligation by collecting physical WEEE or by paying a compliance fee in lieu of undertaking sufficient physical collections to meet their targets. We have set ambitious and stretching targets in order to encourage Producer Compliance Schemes to collect as much material as possible. Setting targets on an annual basis allows us to adjust targets according to trend data, including the amount of EEE that is placed on the market and the amount of WEEE that has been collected in previous years. We do note that some stakeholders have raised the issue of entrenched short-termism in the system. We will explore this issue in more depth when we consult on reviewing the current regulations and seek views and evidence on whether the way targets are set at the moment is constraining long-term planning and if that is the case what changes might be appropriate. In relation to setting reuse targets, this is an area we will continue to explore throughout our engagement with stakeholders as part of the process of reviewing the WEEE Regulations and will make an evaluation of their impact ahead of our consultation which will be published later this year. As part of the review of the Regulations, we will also explore other ways in which more reuse could be encouraged in the system and consult on a range of policy options.