Recycle 'Orphan' Scrap

(ENS) - Established electrical and electronic goods manufacturers in the European Union will be forced to pay for recycling "orphan" waste equipment produced by untraceable companies under plans set by environment ministers. Industry says the move is a "big mistake" and will provide an "incentive and a loophole" for free-riders to flout tough new recycling rules. The report by the Environment Working Group hopes to reach a common position on the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) law. The report says the cost of recycling products made by companies "no longer present on the market or which can no longer be identified" should fall on existing producers.