Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020


CONSULTATION BRIEF

Start date: 5 October 2020

Closing date: 2 November 2020 (Closing date extended to 16th November 2020)

Title of the public consultation: Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020

Ministry: Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning

Entity: Environment & Resources Authority (ERA)

 

1. Background

The draft Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 transpose the provisions of article 3 of Directive (EU) 2018/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE Directive). This directive forms part of the “Waste Legislative Package”, which is composed of four (4) directives, adopted in 2018 as part of the Circular Economy Action Plan. The overarching aim of this Waste Legislative Package is to improve waste management within the EU, in order to move further towards a true circular economy.

At the national level, the original EU Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) was transposed through the Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations, S.L. 549.89, wherein the Environment and Resources Authority is designated as the national competent authority.

The proposed draft Legal Notice not only transposes the relevant article from Directive 2018/849, it also serves to introduce a number of amendments, with a view to further strengthening the implementation of the WEEE Directive in Malta.

 

2. Proposed amendments

The main amendments brought about by the draft Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020, include:

  • Regulation 5 of S.L. 549.89 has been amended to clarify that, in line with the EPR principle, producers or authorised WEEE collective organisations are to ensure continuity of waste management services throughout the year, even if the collection targets are achieved;
  • Regulations 13A and 21 and Schedule 14 have been amended in order to better regulate the bank guarantee that WEEE collective organisations are required to submit, and the method of its calculation; and
  • In order to promote a shift towards a more circular economy, the legislation provides that economic instruments and other measures may be utilised to provide incentives for the application of the waste hierarchy.

 

3. Comments

The draft Waste Management (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020, may be viewed from here: EN and MT.

Any comments are to be submitted to ERA by 2nd November 2020 (Closing date extended to 16th November 2020) at the latest, on the following email address: [email protected].

We thank you in advance for your input.

 

Publication of information

Please be informed that comments submitted, together with the identity of the contributor, may be published online at the end of the public consultation, unless the contributor objects to the publication of his/her personal data. In this case, the contribution may be published in anonymous form.