Environmental Management Costs Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 May 2013

Thursday, 2 May 2013

Questions (167)

Patrick Nulty

Question:

167. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide, in tabular form, the waste electrical and electronic equipment charge associated with the following items for the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, mobile phone, answering machine, fax machine, television, DVD player, satellite dish, hair dryer, games console, personal computer, MP3 player, microwave oven, dishwasher, fridge and or freezer, oven and or cooker; in the event that there is more than one possible WEEE charge associated with an item, if he will provide all possible charges for the item in question as well as the number of each item sold in the item sub-category in the stated years in order that an average WEEE charge for each item may be ascertained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21038/13]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

I assume that the question refers to the Environmental Management Costs (EMCs) that consumers have paid to producers when purchasing certain electrical items since the introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations in Ireland; these EMCs were discontinued finally in February 2013. This system of EMCs was put in place to provide funds for the recovery and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) that was placed on the market prior to the introduction of the WEEE Regulations. The recovery and recycling of EEE that was placed on the market after that time (August 2005) must be funded by producers as part of their normal business costs.

The level of EMCs for each category of electrical items was set by the independent WEEE Register Society; I do not have a function in that regard. I understand that some of the factors that the WEEE Register Society took into account when setting the EMCs were the costs of recovery and recycling and the levels of financial reserves which the approved WEEE schemes (WEEE Ireland and ERP Ireland) had in place to discharge the costs associated with managing this historical WEEE; EMCs have been reduced year on year since 2005.

The Visible Environmental Management Costs associated with the electrical and electronic equipment specified for the period 2009-2012 are available from the WEEE Register Society, which may be contacted by post at WEEE Register Society Ltd, The National Registration Body, Suite 509, 8 Dawson Street, Dublin 2; by telephone at 01 6333551 or by email at [e-mail]. The WEEE Register Society category listings outline the 10 categories covered by the First Schedule of the European Communities (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2011. The Society further provides a breakdown of all electrical and electronic equipment into sub-categories.

My Department does not collate data on the sales of specific pieces of electrical and electronic equipment; this information may however be available from the WEEE Register Society, subject to normal commercial confidentiality and data protection requirements.