The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Fund (WEEE Fund) has announced its “WEEE Support Grants and Loans Package” to help support the electrical waste recycling sector as a result of the impact of the coronavirus.
With many household waste recycling centres closed and other waste electrical collections reduced, the flow of electricals for reuse and recycling has been constrained.
The “WEEE Support Grants and Loans Package” will help support the continuation of the UK WEEE recycling system as the sector deals with the impact of the coronavirus.
This fund will help the sector to weather the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Crucially it will also enable people to do the right thing and recycle more as we move towards a more circular economy
The funding will provide £5 million of interest free loans to electrical waste treatment facilities and £0.6 million of grants to charity sector reuse organisations.
The WEEE Fund structured and allocated the fund on behalf of the 2019 Compliance Fee Advisory Panel, following extensive consultation and research amongst the electrical waste recycling sector.
The research identified the economic impact that the corona virus was having on the sector.
“Rapid help”
Scott Butler, Executive Director, WEEE Fund, said: “This is a fund that has been made available to provide rapid help and support the electrical waste recycling sector as a result of the impact of the coronavirus.
The loans will be 100% backed by the WEEE Fund -funded by producers of electricals. We’ve designed the application process to ensure speedy allocation of funding, and included a range of support for re-use and recycling organisations.”
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Right across the waste sector, I’m hugely grateful to the enormous effort being put in to keep crucial services running; and in such unprecedented times I understand the pressure the industry is under.
“This fund will help the sector to weather the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Crucially it will also enable people to do the right thing and recycle more as we move towards a more circular economy.”