Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Oral Answers to Questions — Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – in the House of Commons at 11:30 am on 13 January 2005.

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Photo of John Pugh John Pugh Shadow Spokesperson (Education) 11:30, 13 January 2005

What discussions the Department has had with companies producing electrical and electronic equipment on the need to reduce waste arising from such equipment.

Photo of Elliot Morley Elliot Morley Minister of State (Environment and Agri-Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Government have consulted extensively with stakeholders, including producers, throughout negotiation and planning for implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive.

Photo of John Pugh John Pugh Shadow Spokesperson (Education)

Does the Minister agree that the marketing strategies, maintenance policies and planned obsolescence used by key players in the industry are compounding the problem of electronic waste? We face an increasing waste mountain of perfectly functional VHS recorders, analogue TV and radio receivers, computers, and DVD players that play but will not record.

Photo of Elliot Morley Elliot Morley Minister of State (Environment and Agri-Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The hon. Gentleman makes a reasonable point. Part of the problem is that technology moves on, but I sympathise with his point. One of the advantages of the new WEEE directive is that it is based on producer liability, which providers manufacturers with a powerful incentive to ensure that they build methods of recycling and reuse into their products. That is in their interests, because take-back will be their responsibility in the future.

Photo of Andrew Turner Andrew Turner Vice-Chair, Conservative Party

When Councillor Julian Whittaker asked Isle of Wight council why it has a warehouse full of redundant electrical equipment, including telephones, computers and photocopiers, he was advised that its possession of those negative value assets was due to the cost not only of dismantling that equipment but of data removal, and that it was impossible to dispose of the equipment for that reason. Will the Minister assure the House that old equipment, as well as equipment that is coming online today, can be disposed of without excessive cost?

Photo of Elliot Morley Elliot Morley Minister of State (Environment and Agri-Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The recycling of computer equipment is important. Well established organisations and companies take and recycle IT equipment. The hon. Gentleman's point concerns the cost of IT removal. Local authorities raise many issues with me, but that issue is new, and I do not know whether a local issue has occurred. I would not claim to be an IT expert, but I know that there are well established methods of removing data from redundant equipment and storing it and backing it up in archives. Isle of Wight council may wish to take some technical advice on that.