Critics slam e-waste policing efforts

Two and a half years on from the introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, the Environment Agency has today admitted that it has no idea how successful it has been at enforcing e-waste legislation.

Speaking at a roundtable hosted by computer re-use charity Computer Aid International, Adrian Harding, EA policy adviser for waste and resource management, said that an absence of accurate data on how much e-waste is generated in the UK each year meant that it was impossible to gauge the success of the watchdog's crackdown on companies breaching the regulations.

Under the WEEE directive, it is illegal for firms to export waste IT equipment to other countries for scrapping. The legislation, which is governed by the "polluter pays" principle, also required IT manufacturers to take responsibility for the safe recycling and disposal of their equipment, either by recycling it themselves or signing up to a compliance scheme offered by a government-approved waste-handling firm.

In addition, the manufacturers have a duty to provide a free collection service for business customers so they can easily return their equipment at end of life.

Harding said there was anecdotal evidence that the Agency was proving successful at policing the legislation as it was receiving fewer reports of waste being illegally sent to West Africa for scrapping.

The practice of dumping of IT equipment in African scrap yards is known to cause major health and environmental risks as the machines are typically broken up in unsafe conditions that expose workers to toxic components and lead to local water tables being polluted.

Harding accepted that even though the number of illegal shipments appeared to be declining, the practice was continuing with a number of rogue waste-handling firms believed to be making more money selling the second-hand equipment abroad than they can recycling the equipment in the UK.

He said the Agency was tackling the problem by stopping and inspecting containers being shipped overseas, making arrests and bringing people to court, adding that while it had not yet prosecuted any groups connected with illegal shipments, it has eight lawsuits under way involving breaches of the WEEE directive.

Harding said that the absence of accurate data on the scale of illegal e-waste shipments meant it would be hard to assess whether or not the Agency needs more resources from the government next year to help fund enforcement activities.

Harding's comments prompted a tense exchange with Computer Aid International founder Tony Roberts, who said the evidence that illegal shipments were ongoing meant that the Environment Agency should call on the government for more resources. "It is only better enforcements and prosecutions that change behaviour," Roberts said.

In response, Harding hinted strongly that the Agency was not in a position to request additional funding. "I am always hesitant to say we have enough resources but we recognise the huge pressure on the public purse at the moment, " he said. "Our focus now is to make the best out of what we have been given.”

Roberts also argued that all firms shipping computer parts abroad for recycling purposes should be banned, warning that while currently legitimate, the practice provided a cover for some businesses to ship machines for scrapping. "It's a green light opening the door for continuing the illegal trade," he said.