White Goods (Hansard, 17 December 2001)

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to improve the consistency of local re-use projects for white goods. [21676]

§ Mr. Meacher
None at present.
129W

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to increase the capacity of local projects to recondition white goods appliances. [21674]

§ Mr. Meacher
The Government currently have no such plans. However, the Prime Minister has announced that across the UK £50 million from the New Opportunities Fund is to be used to support community recycling and related initiatives, which could include the reconditioning and re-use of white goods.

§ Mr. Sayeed
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if the Government plan to continue to encourage the re-use of whole white goods appliances to supply to people on low incomes; [21673]
(2) if she will make a statement on the European Directive concerning the recycling of components parts of white goods; and what plans the Government have to ensure that the Directive does not obstruct the recycling of whole appliances for re-use by those on low income. [21675]

§ Mr. Meacher
A draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive is under discussion. Once agreed and implemented in the UK and other member states it will require targets of recovery, re-use and recycling for components, materials and substances of separately collected electrical equipment to be met.
The wording of the current draft points to targets for the re-use of whole appliances being set in the future. Although these have yet to be set, an objective of this draft is to minimise the amount of electrical equipment becoming waste and so the proposal ensures that priority would be given to the re-use of whole appliances. There is a requirement for appliances to be collected and transported carefully to ensure that any re-usable equipment does not get damaged in transit. There is also a requirement for consumers to be informed of return systems, which could include information on offering equipment for re-use.
The draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive defines re-use as any operation by which waste electrical and electronic equipment or components thereof are used for the same purpose for which they were conceived, including the continued use of the equipment or components thereof which are returned to collection points, distributors, recyclers or manufacturers.
The Government see no reason why the implementation of this directive will obstruct the current infrastructure of the re-use of whole appliances by those on low income.