Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of local authorities in England offer kerbside collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment; and what steps they are taking to increase kerbside collection of that equipment.

In January this year, Material Focus published research reviewing the effectiveness of public collections of small mixed WEEE and portable batteries in the UK, including kerbside collections. Material Focus is funded by the compliance fee that operates under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013, which is paid by electrical producers if they don’t meet the annual recycling targets set by the Government. Figure 4 of Appendix A in the review (copy attached) includes a map of the 95 local authorities that provided small electrical kerbside collections in 2023. The findings indicated that although kerbside collections impacted the amount of recycling collected, the picture is complex and the 'best collection method' for each local authority may be influenced by various other important factors.

Defra recognises the importance of continued innovation in collection and treatment of waste electricals and electronics. As we develop the Circular Economy Growth Plan, we will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what interventions may be needed. The Circular Economy Growth Plan is due to be published in early 2026.