UK Government pushed to address ‘e-waste tsunami’

In its report from November 2020, the committee revealed that each household in the UK possesses an average of 20 unused electronic devices.

Chairman of the Environment Audit Committee, Philip Dunne expressed his dissatisfaction to Environment Secretary Steve Barclay, declaring that the government has no grasp on the ‘e-waste tsunami.’

However, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) insists it is promoting recycling among citizens.

A spokesperson from DEFRA commented: "Every year millions of household electricals across the UK end up in the bin rather than being correctly recycled or reused. This is a waste of our natural resources and has to stop.

"We are taking clear action on this issue - including proposals to make it easier to recycle and reuse unwanted gadgets and electricals and a ban on disposable vapes, which represent a huge and growing stream of hard-to-recycle waste. We will continue to drive forward our ambitions to move to a more circular economy."

Disappointment at the forefront

He expressed that the select committee was pleased when the government carefully considered the evidence they provided and accepted their recommendations. Yet, he observed a lack of these initiatives in current policy or the ongoing consultation on e-waste.

He suggested that the government should expand its consultation's scope to include a wider range of proposals, aiming to transition the UK to a zero-waste economy.

The government's consultation, which concluded on 7 March, proposed measures such as holding electrical goods producers responsible for the collection and treatment of products at the end of their life cycle, including covering the net costs. Additionally, it suggested that online sellers and retailers should provide a free collection service for large domestic electronics, like washing machines or TVs, upon delivery.

While the committee was optimistic about this proposal, it felt the consultation's scope was too limited and missed several of its recommendations. These missed recommendations included enforcing the same regulations on online marketplaces, such as Amazon, as offline ones, ensuring compliance with UK laws for electronics sold. It also recommended that electronic goods producers should label their products with the expected lifetime and duration of software updates.