WEEE Register approves revised visible Environmental Management Costs  for waste electrical and electronic equipment.

The WEEE Register today (May 29^th 2008) announced that it had completed a review of the visible Environmental Management Costs (vEMCs) which had applied since October 1^st 2007.

During the course of its review the WEEE Register invited submissions from producers of electrical and electronic equipment through the two collective compliance schemes WEEE Ireland Ltd. and European Recycling Platform (ERP). Following careful consideration of those submissions, and having consulted further with the compliance schemes, the Register is pleased to confirm it has approved revised vEMCs to apply from 1^st June next.

The next in depth review will take place within 12 months and will take full account of recycling costs incurred, and take back rates achieved over the period since August 2005.

Under regulations made by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the producers of electrical and electronic equipment are required to ensure the responsible management of waste arising from such equipment. A large volume of this equipment already exists and it must be dealt with as its useful life expires. Current producers will be responsible for this waste as it arises and are allowed to display the cost of the environmentally sound management of historic WEEE when selling new EEE products. This is known as the visible Environmental Management Cost (vEMC) and must be clearly displayed by retailers.