ERA is putting forward the following clarification with a view to amending the article that appeared on the Times of Malta online, entitled “€100 fines considered as government says black bags are no place for electronic waste”, more specifically with a view to correcting the sentence “Introduced in Malta in 2015, the WEEE directive replaced the eco-contribution on electronic items.”
The WEEE directive 2002/96/EC has been in place in the European Union before Malta joined the EU in 2004. This directive was transposed initially through the Waste Management (electrical and electronic equipment) regulations Legal Notice 63 of 2007, which came into force on 23 March 2007, making this the date from when producers in Malta have been obliged to abide by the requirements of these regulations.
The WEEE directive was recast in 2012, following which new regulations (the Waste management electrical and electronic equipment regulations) were issued as Legal Notice 204 of 2014. The latter regulation came into force on 14 February 2014 and has since been amended by L.N. 232 of 2015.
The putting in place of the new legislation following the recast of the WEEE Directive, the subsequent amendments and the removal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) from the Eco Contribution Act regime in 2014-2015 were all part of a reform aimed at improving the implementation of the WEEE directive in Malta and bringing Malta closer to achieving its targets in this sector.
In addition, ERA also wishes to clarify that the Authority is the main regulator in the area of waste management including the WEEE sector.
For any further clarification, kindly contact ERA on [email protected]
