WEEE board closure slammed
Industry concerned about the effect this will have on recycling IT equipment in the UK
WEEE unfit: WAB's work has been passed over to BIS
Fears have been raised about the future of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive (WEEE), following the axing of its advisory board, WAB.
Business secretary Vince Cable announced last month that WAB, along with three other quangos, was facing the axe as part of the government’s drive to achieve efficiency savings.
It was also confirmed that responsibility for work carried out by WAB in overseeing the implementation of WEEE would fall to the Department for Business, Innovations and Skills (BIS).
A BIS representative told CRN that the department would “seek to continue the important work WAB has done” by working with the board’s existing members.
Despite this assurance, members of the IT disposal channel have expressed concerns about how the directive will be enforced and managed in the future.
Jon Godfrey, director of Sims Lifecycle Services, said the internalisation of WAB’s responsibilities within government could make it more difficult for the industry to provide feedback about WEEE.
“WAB was the key way for us to provide real-life insight into how workable the regulations are,” he said. “There is a concern that its closure will mean this is something we will not have an opportunity to do any more.”
Godfrey said that with cost cutting at the top of the government’s agenda, the enforcement of the regulations could also suffer.
“The Environment Agency is responsible for enforcing the regulations and its ability to act could be affected if further cuts are made,” he warned.
Askar Sheibani, chief executive of IT and telecoms repair company Comtek, blasted the decision to close the doors on WAB, claiming that there are far more efficient ways for the government to save money.
“The government should introduce a target to increase the life span of all their computer equipment by three years or more because that would help save money and cut waste, too,” he said.