Question reference: S6W-05356
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 23 December 2021
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Current status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 January 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the quantity of electronic waste that is (a) collected, (b) recycled and (c) reused.
Answer
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013 place take-back obligations on retailers and other distributors who sell electrical and electronic equipment. Obligated retailers or distributors must either; i) join the Distributor Take-back Scheme; ii) offer in-store take-back or iii) provide an alternative free take-back service that is available and accessible to customers. WEEE deposited at such facilities, or at household recycling centres, must be managed in accordance with waste management legislation and local planning requirements. These designated collection facilities track the amount of WEEE going for onward treatment, recycling, reuse and disposal.
SEPA regulates waste management activities in Scotland through Waste Management Licences (WMLs) and Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permits. Operators are required to report waste data to SEPA on a quarterly or annual basis as specified in their licence, permit or exemption. Once these statutory waste data are collected and quality assured, they are used to check compliance with the licence or permit, and to fulfil statutory and non-statutory reporting obligations.