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Select committee: Environmental Audit Committee

Third Special Report - Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report

Published 26 February 2021

Environmental Audit Committee Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to First Report - Electronic Waste and the Circular Economy.

This is the government's response, published 26 February 2021.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government says it is "committed to going further" on e-waste and will address many of the Committee's concerns through a review of the WEEE Regulations, with a consultation later this year.

  • On online sellers and platforms, it recognises they "must do more" and says it will look at their obligations under the review and "consult on our proposals".
  • On kerbside collection, it is "exploring options" for roll-out and will consult on options as part of the WEEE Regulations review later this year, noting kerbside collection by local authorities "may not always be the optimum solution".
  • On reducing VAT on repairs, it says "there are no plans to change the VAT treatment of electronic items at present", while keeping all taxes under review.
  • On the Committee's call for all electrical exports to be deemed risky, it says it "agrees" about the impact of illegal exports but notes that a legislation change would be required to make currently lawful exports higher risk or notifiable.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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