The government has moved a step closer to making online sellers responsible for electrical waste.
Ministers laid a statutory instrument in Parliament to continue the process of changing the law on recycling electronics.
Circular economy minister Mary Creagh last year pledged to ensure large online retailers ‘pay their fair share’ for recovering waste electrical goods.
The government said last December that web-based shopping sites would have to join WEEE compliance schemes and become financially obligated for recycling by 2026.
The announcement came in a formal response to a consultation on reforming the producer responsibility system for waste electricals.
This said: “Transitional reporting obligations will be introduced in 2025 to ensure that online marketplaces are financially obligated in respect of sales by their overseas sellers in 2026.
“Obligations will be in line with those placed on businesses defined in the regulations as producers.”
The report added that new charges would be introduced to cover the costs of monitoring online marketplaces.
