Recycling charges for some waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) are to be reduced from the beginning of next month, following a comprehensive review of the waste management charges introduced last year.
While large household appliances will retain the charges imposed last August, small household appliances, televisions, lighting equipment and electrical and electronic tools will have their visible Environmental Management Costs (vEMCs) reduced, according to the WEEE Register.
In the category of consumer equipment, large televisions will now incur a €15 charge, as opposed to the €20 charge enforced in August. Medium and small televisions will continue to cost €10 in waste management charges, while medium-sized consumer products will decrease from €5 to €1.
Further decreases are in the areas of small consumer products, miscellaneous minor items, floor-care products, small household and personal appliances, lights, and electrical and electronic goods.
Clocks and watches will no longer incur a waste management charge. Small white goods will cost only €1 to dispose of from August 1st.
The review by the WEEE Register invited submissions from producers, wholesalers and retailers of electrical and electronic equipment, and the two collective compliance schemes, WEEE Ireland Ltd and the European Recycling Platform.
Yesterday's publication of the review coincided with the announcement by the Department of the Environment that there has been a fivefold increase in WEEE recycling since the scheme commenced.
Half a million household appliances have now been taken out of the waste stream, including 85,000 fridge-freezers, 78,999 televisions and almost 40,000 power tools.
Speaking at the function to mark the establishment of the WEEE Monitoring Group, Minister for the Environment Dick Roche described the results as a "clear indication of the public's willingness to grapple with the problem of waste".
"Our EU target is to reach 4kg per person by end 2008. This performance would place us on course to achieving 170 per cent of our target within the first 12 months and to double our EU target by end 2008," he said.
Chief executive of Ibec Leo Donovan noted that "a huge mountain" of electronic waste will continue to be generated over coming months and years.