Members of the United Kingdom Cartridge Remanufacturers Association (UKCRA) recently met with representatives from two government agencies to discuss why consumables should be included when the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is implemented in the United Kingdom.
UKCRA members were joined by European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturing Association (ETIRA) representatives when they met with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of the Environment (DEFRA) as part of the discussion period leading up to the August 2004 implementation deadline.
The discussion stage continues, and UKCRA representatives said, "From written replies received from the Department of Trade and Industry and Department of the Environment to MPs (Members of Parliament) and other interested parties, we felt it important to request a roundtable discussion expressing our position and the consequences to our industry, the environment and individual’s freedom of choice should ‘clever chips’ that prevent reuse continue to be used by manufacturers.”
The WEEE Directive, which includes language in Article 4 that may ban the use of smart or "clever" chips in the European Union, was passed by the European Parliament after heavy lobbying by the remanufacturing industry. While the directive applies to the EU's 15 current member states (and any slated to join), each country has to determine for itself how to interpret and implement the Directive.
In the UK, that task goes to the DTI. On March 28, the DTI issued a preliminary discussion paper suggesting that consumables, and thus perhaps printer cartridges, should be excluded from the WEEE Directive.
On May 30, during DTI's open period for responses, representatives from UKCRA and ETIRA responded with arguments why cartridges should be considered waste electrical or electronic equipment. On July 23, at a meeting with DTI and DEFRA, UKCRA and ETIRA representatives presented the agencies with the written response of the associations' legal counsel.
"UKCRA and ETIRA representatives were fortunate to have a meeting with key representatives from both the DTI and DEFRA that resulted in many key issues and concerns being discussed at great length," UKCRA representatives said in a statement. "UKCRA will continue to lobby political and environmental groups so that they are aware of what is at stake and continue to participate in the important discussion process towards implementation."
To read a copy of UKCRA's response to the DTI discussion paper, see http://www.rechargermag.com/article.asp?id=200306505. For further information on UKCRA, contact Laura Heywood, Secretary, at info@ukcra.com or http://www.ukcra.com.
