In a bid to bring calm to the situation over the announcement by the WEEE Scheme Forum, that there will be no Allocation Centre. REPIC, the leading B2C WEEE compliance scheme in the UK, has confirmed it will accept free of charge any WEEE, of any category, collected through in-store take-back or through home delivery from any distributor (retailer) from the 1st July 2007.
REPIC will collect, any and all WEEE made freely available in all categories, from any local authority Designated Collection Facilities working to the Code of Practice, utilising existing WEEE infrastructure where appropriate. REPIC will provide up to five containers appropriate to each site free of charge and clear those sites to agreed service levels. REPIC's IT system (ERIC) will provide reports back to local authorities on the type and amounts of WEEE by DCF and/or WDA for recycling target purposes.
REPIC has estimated the potential cost saving for every waste authority in the UK that makes WEEE available and will gladly share this with each of them on an individual basis.
If REPIC collects too much WEEE, it will work with other schemes as permitted to balance obligations.
Commenting on the WSF announcement, Dr Philip Morton, chief executive of REPIC said: "REPIC is naturally disappointed that DCF's will no longer be shared out in a fair and equitable manner as this would have been the best solution for all concerned. REPIC will continue to support the Allocation Centre and still believes that there was enough time in which to resolve all the issues.
To bring some order in what will now be a 'free for all' REPIC is offering this free take back service to all approved local authority collection sites.
"As our members represent the majority of EEE sales and hence most of the WEEE that will arise, we therefore feel we are in the best position to offer this solution, in light of the current situation. Anyone who makes WEEE available to us, as the largest producer compliance scheme, will be given the guaranteed that REPIC will come in and collect it all, free of charge."
Distributors wishing to take up the offer should contact info@repic.co.uk quoting reference 'FreeWEEE' or 'Council Savings' where appropriate.
REPIC is an approved producer compliance scheme and established in January 2004 by leading companies in AMDEA, SEAMA and Intellect - three of the main trade associations in the electrical and electronics industry - to meet their producer obligations under the WEEE Directive.
For further information on REPIC log onto www.repic.co.uk