Landmark waste bill edges closer

Landmark waste bill edges closer

A draft bill that would require manufacturers to collect and dispose of electronic waste arising from products they sell is set to be tabled before the cabinet and then lawmakers for final approval.

Suwanna Tiersuwan, deputy chief of the Pollution Control Department (PCD), said the National Legislative Assembly's whip yesterday agreed to accept the draft Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) bill for reading. The bill is expected to go before legislators sometime before the end of the year.

Ms Suwanna said the NLA whip's approval was considered a major victory for the PCD, which has spent five years struggling to push this legislation through.

Various draft versions have faced cabinet rejection over the last few years because of intense lobbying by private sector groups claiming they were not ready to take on the burden this proposed law would lay at their door.

The WEEE legislation if enacted, will lead to massive changes for manufacturers. The law would make them responsible for collecting and disposing of products they have sold. This could see them establishing electronic waste collection centers where consumers can drop off used and worn out goods.

The legislation will cover five types of electronic products -- computers, mobile phones, air conditioners, televisions and refrigerators. But the draft bill allows for the government to add other electronic devices that might be widely used in the future such as solar cells or electric car batteries.

Manufacturers will be given one year to prepare from a date declared in the Royal Gazette. Despite positive responses from the cabinet and NLA's whip, the PCD anticipates resistance from the private sector, according to Ms Suwanna.

"It seems the operators say they need to have at least two years for preparation. However, we think that one year is enough as the bill has been seriously pushed for five years," Ms Suwanna said.

The cabinet last December gave the nod in principle to the draft WEEE bill, but asked the PCD to revise some wording for technical reasons. The PCD has completed these revisions, and is set to submit the bill to the Prime Minister's Office this week.

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