Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 796: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will clarify the position with regard to current EU regulations on the disposal of white goods; if, when a member of the public is purchasing a white good and disposing of the old one, it is in order for the vendor of the replacement white good to place a charge on the removal and disposal of the old white good, irrespective of the identity of the vendor of the original. [22187/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Primary responsibility for the environmentally sound management of waste electrical and electronic equipment, WEEE, rests with producers in line with the producer responsibility obligations imposed by the relevant EU directive. According to draft legislation, producers will be required to finance the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE deposited by retailers and members of the public at collection facilities and to achieve prescribed recovery targets. This will include responsibility on the basis of producers' current market share for historic WEEE which is WEEE arising from products placed on the market prior to 13 August 2005. This will also include taking responsibility for WEEE where producers no longer exist or cannot be traced.

From 13 August next when the directive comes into force, retailers will be required to take back household WEEE on a one-for-one basis when selling new equipment as long as the waste electrical and electronic equipment is of equivalent type or has fulfilled the same function as the equipment being supplied. The vendor of the original equipment is not relevant and the retailer cannot impose any charge for WEEE taken back on a one-for-one basis.