As the revised legislation of European Union (EU) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) came into force from 13 August, the UK and other (EU) Member States have time until 14 February 2014 to bring themselves in line with the recast of the WEEE Directive.
The Recast will take 20 days to enter EU law, as it has been delayed due to modifications to the wording of the legislation.
As per the laws, member states will be required to collect 45t of WEEE for every 100t put onto the market in the three preceding years, which is equivalent to 45%, by 2016.
These targets will then increase further in 2019 to a rate of 65t from every 100t put onto the market.
The Directive, according to the European Union, will give member states greater powers to fight the illegal export of waste.
EU environment commissioner Janez Potocnik said that during these times of economic turmoil and rising prices for raw materials, resource efficiency is where environmental benefits and innovative growth opportunities come together.
"We now need to open new collection channels for electronic waste and improve the effectiveness of existing ones. I encourage the Member States to meet these new targets before the formal deadline," added Potocnik.
Earlier, all member states had a target to collect 4kg of WEEE per person per year.
