Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
First Report - Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy
Environmental Audit Committee
HC 220
Published 26 November 2020
Recommendations
2
We recommend that the Government reconsiders the use of substantiated estimates in the E-waste system...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government reconsiders the use of substantiated estimates in the E-waste system when evaluating performance. (Paragraph 30) Conclusion
9
The Government must make this mandatory for local authorities, with the cost paid for by...
Recommendation
The Government must make this mandatory for local authorities, with the cost paid for by producers and those smaller retailers or online marketplaces still exempt from collecting E-waste directly from the public. (Paragraph 70) Conclusion
11
In any future producer responsibility system online marketplaces like Amazon should be responsible for ensuring...
Recommendation
In any future producer responsibility system online marketplaces like Amazon should be responsible for ensuring that all EEE that is sold on their platforms is fully compliant with the law. Furthermore, producers should be required to pay exactly the same …
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16
To overcome this issue, we recommend that the Government require producers to label their electrical...
Recommendation
To overcome this issue, we recommend that the Government require producers to label their electrical and electronic products outlining the product’s expected lifetime, including how long a device will receive software security upgrades. To enhance the label to be more …
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19
The UK has a long history of engineering, and the public wants to be able...
Recommendation
The UK has a long history of engineering, and the public wants to be able repair their products. When products are designed, durability and repairability should be key considerations. The Government must enshrine the right to repair in law, enforcing …
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20
The Government must enshrine the right to repair in law, enforcing access to (1) repair...
Recommendation
The Government must enshrine the right to repair in law, enforcing access to (1) repair manuals; (2) access to affordable spare parts for products; and (3) ability to repair products without repairers needing access to physical or software tools specifically …
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22
The Government should mandate that products be labelled with a repairability score, based on the...
Recommendation
The Government should mandate that products be labelled with a repairability score, based on the products design, the availability and cost of spare parts, access and ease of use of repair manuals. This will incentivise companies to go beyond the …
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26
The Government must increase the incentives for re-use so that all parties benefit from further...
Recommendation
The Government must increase the incentives for re-use so that all parties benefit from further re-use, in particularly making re-use evidence worth more than recycling evidence. (Paragraph 116) Conclusion
29
Manufacturers of electronics must ensure that their products are recyclable and dismantlable by waste treatment...
Recommendation
Manufacturers of electronics must ensure that their products are recyclable and dismantlable by waste treatment operators. The Government must apply incentives, potentially through the extended producer responsibility scheme, for the design of products that are easy to recycle. (Paragraph 126) …
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31
We recommend that the Government fast-tracks the national materials datahub to track critical raw materials...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government fast-tracks the national materials datahub to track critical raw materials in the UK. The aspects that focus on critical raw materials, E-waste and toxic chemicals should be operational by 2023. (Paragraph 128) 64 Electronic Waste …
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37
The Government must take strong steps to overcome the problems besetting the system by mandating...
Recommendation
The Government must take strong steps to overcome the problems besetting the system by mandating that producers, compliance schemes, local authorities and AATF enter longer term contracts to create partnerships and longer-term certainty. It must also ensure that the market …
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39
The Government should find ways of driving the use of more recycled materials in new...
Recommendation
The Government should find ways of driving the use of more recycled materials in new products. This could be done through taxes on virgin materials, or through rewarding producers that use recycled products through eco-modulated fees. (Paragraph 150) Conclusion
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Conclusions (31)
1
Conclusion
The system of collection targets in the UK is unclear. National figures on collection rates include a significant amount of estimation about electronics that have been collected in different ways, with no clear understanding as to whether those collected electronics are treated in a high-quality manner. This leads to a …
3
Conclusion
Targets for producer compliance schemes have been missed over recent years. For 2020 the target has been brought down to match the actual amount collected in 2019 due to the impact of Covid-19. Targets are set annually, which prevents all parties in the system from investing in long term collection …
4
Conclusion
DEFRA must set long term targets that align with existing commitments like zero waste to landfill. The targets should have milestones at clear intervals, to allow certainty for businesses and investors. They must be set using independently verified data not self-reported data. It must be clear that these are collection …
5
Conclusion
Our inquiry has heard that making official collection routes for the public easy and consistent is key to ensuring products are correctly re-used, repaired and recycled. Retailer take-back is an effective method, so we welcome the Government requirement for large physical retailers to offer this service. However, this further tilts …
6
Conclusion
Our high streets are under severe pressure and current regulations, coming into force from 2021, could unfairly entrench the competitive advantage of online retailers and 60 Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy marketplaces like Amazon. As a matter of urgency and at the latest by the end of 2021 online …
7
Conclusion
To prevent a potential loophole with take-back being offered only at remote, inconvenient warehouses, the regulations should follow the exemplary innovation shown by AO.com and DixonsCarphone. Online retailers and marketplaces for electrical and electronic equipment must arrange and pay for the collection of like-for- like electronics from customer’s homes on …
8
Conclusion
A mixture of collection types is needed to tackle the significant E-waste collection challenges. As well as Retailer Take-back, kerbside collection has been shown to be very effective and easy for the public to hand-over their electronics cost-effectively and with limited damage to the environment. (Paragraph 70) Recommendation 5
10
Conclusion
An Extended Producer Responsibility scheme could be used to incentivise the very best practice in circular low-carbon product design. However, care must be taken to put circular economy principles at the heart of the policy and efforts made to harmonise it with wider efforts internationally. In any future producer responsibility …
12
Conclusion
It is welcome that Government plans to monitor progress against the Resource and Waste Strategy, including both a measure of per capita material and resource consumption and measures of resource productivity with the goal being to double resource productivity by 2050. (Paragraph 76) Recommendation 7
13
Conclusion
As a complement to the monitoring per capita material consumption there must also be a target in place to reduce consumption to a sustainable level in line with the research highlighted in this report. Due to the increasing number of electronics and the materials contained within them there should be …
14
Conclusion
The UK Government must confirm that it intends to follow the approach taken by other countries to ban the practice of intentionally shortening the lifespan of products through planned obsolescence. (Paragraph 85) Conclusion
15
Conclusion
Consumers have a low trust in the electronic market and the longevity of products, both new, and repaired. They lack the information to make informed choices about the balance between cost, quality and the lifetime of the products they are buying. (Paragraph 93) Recommendation 9
17
Conclusion
Minister Pow MP indicated that the Government is looking into enhancing and extending the minimum guarantees on electronic products, including software. We support this proposal and urge the Government to bring this forward with the aim of removing electronics with unduly short lives from the market. The expected lifetime label …
18
Conclusion
We support this proposal and urge the Government to bring this forward with the aim of removing electronics with unduly short lives from the market. The expected lifetime label must be linked to the minimum lifespan guarantee. Particular attention must be paid to where the burden of proof lies between …
21
Conclusion
Technology companies, repair organisations and the UK Government should collaborate to ensure safety is ensured during the repair of electronics. This could be through creating professional standards, that will in turn drive more consumer trust. This collaboration should also look at the protection of intellectual property. (Paragraph 110) Recommendation 13
23
Conclusion
Another proposal supported by industry is a reduction in VAT on repair services from the current standard rate. This is also supported by Professor Tim Cooper and is in place in a number of countries across the EU. (Paragraph 112) Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy 63 Recommendation 14
24
Conclusion
The UK Government should encourage repairability through reducing VAT charged on the repair of electrical and electronic products. (Paragraph 112) Conclusion
25
Conclusion
Producers, local authorities and recyclers have little or no incentive to re-use products over recycling them. (Paragraph 116) Recommendation 15
27
Conclusion
Some countries set re-use targets for electronics, such as Spain and Belgium. (Paragraph 117) Recommendation 16
28
Conclusion
The UK Government should set similar re-use targets for producer compliance schemes, with penalties levied when targets are missed. These targets must be set long term and ratchet over time to give the industry clarity and time to prepare. (Paragraph 117) Recycling Recommendation 17
30
Conclusion
Producers, via producer compliance schemes, should provide information to recyclers about the materials, including quantities, in their products. A clear date should be set for this to be mandatory. Once the national material datahub is operational then manufacturers’ information should be linked to this. (Paragraph 127) Recommendation 19
32
Conclusion
Current recycling and recovery targets and metrics, based on weight, are not sufficient to incentivise the capture of valuable materials. (Paragraph 133) Recommendation 20
33
Conclusion
Clear targets for E-waste treatment facilities that are based on capturing value, including critical raw materials, and their environmental impact must be set. (Paragraph 133) Recommendation 21
34
Conclusion
Recycling methods covered by Best Available Treatment Recovery and Recycling Techniques, and recycling and recovery targets must be ambitious with a shift away from recovery towards high-quality recycling. There must be a clearly defined and communicated long-term pathway, with milestones, showing when and how E-waste treatment centres must improve their …
35
Conclusion
Government investment in low-quality Energy from Waste plants should at the least be matched by investment in higher quality recycling methods that mean materials, particularly rare and valuable ones can be re-used. Energy from Waste, though important to prevent items going to landfill, should be treated as a low priority …
36
Conclusion
The current short-term and transactional nature of the electronic waste system is not delivering the high-quality and high-capacity recycling this country needs if it is to reach a circular economy and extract the full benefits to jobs and the economy of the precious and valuable materials currently being lost. (Paragraph …
38
Conclusion
Increasing resource productivity by reducing the amount of resource that is extracted to make new products will be crucial to reducing the damaging impact of extractive industries on the environment and safeguarding scarce resources that are vital to a low-carbon economy. Improving the long-term price certainty of recycled materials will …
40
Conclusion
There are in some cases legitimate reasons to export overseas old electronics that can have a second life. (Paragraph 159) Recommendation 25
41
Conclusion
However, due to the serious impact of E-waste on human health and the environment, both here and overseas, and the sheer quantity potentially being exported illegally, the Environment Agency should deem all electrical and electronic exports as risky and in need of more stringent requirements before exportation is allowed. (Paragraph …
42
Conclusion
The presumption, unless proved otherwise, should be that electronics are not usable. All electronics should be tested and proved to work before exportation. No good should be exported that needs repair to be workable. There should be harmonisation of this across the UK to prevent goods being moved from one …
43
Conclusion
The Environment Agency in England should be undertaking stronger enforcement activity and should be actively collecting data and information to estimate the actual quantities of E-waste being exported illegally. (Paragraph 161) 66 Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy