Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what obligation the energy industry has to remove, recycle and dispose of legacy gas and electric meters as part of the smart meter roll-out.

Existing obligations in relation to the removal, recycling and disposal of traditional gas and electricity meters apply for the smart meter rollout.

Companies have responsibilities under the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The WEEE Directive implements the principle of “extended producer responsibility”. Under this principle, producers are required to take financial responsibility for the environmental impact of the products that they place on the market, specifically when those products become waste. It seeks to reduce the amount of such waste going to landfill by encouraging separate collection and subsequent treatment, re-use, recovery, recycling and environmentally sound disposal.

Large suppliers involved in the smart meter rollout have developed their own strategies for the safe recycling or disposal of gas and electricity meters. Gas and electricity meters are refurbished and refitted where possible or ultimately recycled in line with manufacturer guidelines.