HC Deb 15 June 1998 vol 314 c104W
Dr. Whitehead

To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 6 April 1998,Official Report, column 67, what estimate has been made of the proportion of people who have the opportunity to take their old appliances back free of charge and do so. [45102]

Mr. Nigel Griffiths

Within the UK it is estimated that over 50% of new white goods are sold with the opportunity to take back the old appliance free of charge. For some products, estimates indicate that this opportunity may be as high as seven out of every ten appliances sold. To date no information is available on the proportion of people who decide to opt for free take-back, and we are advised that consumer habits may vary greatly for different types of products.