REPIC,  the UK’s largest Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) compliance scheme, has independently appointed researchers from Lancaster University to undertake detailed data analysis to improve its intelligence on high level Electronic and Electrical Equipment (EEE) trends across the country. The project will involve detailed analysis of electronic and electrical equipment on the market, product lifecycles, and analysis of collection and recycling behaviours and processes when products reach their end of life.

By law, the current model for recycling electronic and electrical equipment in the UK dictates the retailer or manufacturer should collect and recycle old electrical items whenever new items are bought – with a view to products being recycled on a like-for-like basis. A key objective of this new study will be to explore the wider socio-economic factors and trends that have, to date, influenced the public’s purchasing and recycling behaviours – and how this has compares to Defra’s 2017 targets.

REPIC hopes the research project will provide improved quality data and intelligence to better inform Defra’s Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment targets for 2018.

Mark Burrows-Smith, REPIC CEO, said: ”From the collection data that we have seen so far this year it is clear the buy and dispose model for target setting is challenging at times of economic change. We know that wider socio-economic factors play a huge role in people’s purchasing and recycling behaviour. By collaborating with the research team at Lancaster University, we hope to be able to utilise the findings, to produce recommendations and costings for the development of a dynamic WEEE flow model.” 

The preliminary results are expected in February 2018.