Q2 2021 WEEE COLLECTION DATA
Louise Grantham, chief executive of REPIC, comments: “Total household WEEE collections in Q2 2021 fell slightly when compared to Q1 2021 – 118,347 tonnes compared to 120,227 tonnes. Total household WEEE collections for the first half of 2021 are 47.4% of Defra’s 2021 annual WEEE collections target.
“Collections of Large Household Appliances (LHA) in Q2 2021 were lower than in Q1 2021 (37,381 tonnes compared to 47,535 tonnes), however non-obligated LHA WEEE collections were notably higher (24,328 tonnes compared to 1,758 tonnes). Excluding LHA data, total WEEE collections in the first half of 2021 were 48.6% of the 2021 target, with collections in the Cooling and Display categories being on or slightly above the pro-rata 2021 annual collections target, and slightly below in the Gas Discharge Lamp, PV Panels and Small Mixed WEEE categories.
“These collection figures are encouraging, because the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions for much of the first half of 2021 are likely to have had an adverse effect on WEEE collections in the first half of the year.
“Total EEE placed on the market remains higher than in 2020, although it fell slightly in Q2 2021 compared to Q1 2021 – 383,549 tonnes compared to 405,165 tonnes. Sales of EEE have demonstrably been affected by changing consumer spending priorities and business requirements during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Collections of Small Mixed WEEE increased in Q2 2021 compared to Q1 2021 (33,669 tonnes compared to 28,747 tonnes). Although it may be too early to attribute this to the introduction of mandatory in-store takeback on 1st January, because many retail outlets remained closed for a portion of Q2 2021 due to the Covid-19 restrictions, providing more options for consumers to recycle unwanted electricals should ultimately contribute to increasing Small Mixed WEEE collections.”
