Recycling and waste

Producer Responsibility: End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs)

End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003 - guidance notes

On Monday 3 November 2003 the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003 came into effect. These guidance notes pdf file (32 KB) explain how the Regulations apply to sites used for the storage and treatment of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). The Regulations require operators to hold a site licence if accepting vehicles which have not been depolluted and set new minimum technical standards for all sites that store or treat ELVs.

Depolluting End-of-Life vehicles - guidance notes

These guidance notes, commissioned by Defra and DTI, describe procedures which will achieve a depolluted end-of-life vehicle (ELV), classed as non-hazardous waste.

The "Guidance for Authorised Treatment Facilities" applies to ELV Directive vehicles, that is to say passenger vehicles with no more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat and goods vehicles with a mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

For larger vehicles, and in particular heavy goods vehicles, possible depollution methods are described in the guide "Depollution Guidance for End-of-Life Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes".

Data required to monitor compliance with the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive - report

The UK Government commissioned TRL to undertake a study "Data required to monitor compliance with the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive". The study is in two parts. Part I concentrates on gathering mass balance data on ELV arisings, ELV processing and reprocessing within the UK during 2000. Part II identifies the data that will actually be required to monitor compliance with the ELV Directive.

Background

The EC directive on End-of-Life vehicles (ELVs) aims to reduce, or prevent, the amount of waste produced from ELVs and increase the recovery and recycling of ELVs that do arise.

The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive passed into European law in October 2000 and was due to be transposed into national law in all Member States by 21 April 2002. This was delayed (as in most other Member States), the UK is currently in the process of introducing the remaining provisions relating to producer responsibility Articles of the ELV Directive (5 and 7) and these will be transposed through the End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005.

Articles 5 and 7 require that: -

  • Owners must be able to have their complete ELVs accepted by collection systems free of charge, even when they have a negative value, from 1 January 2007 at the latest;
  • Producers (vehicle manufacturers or professional importers) must pay 'all or a significant part' of the costs of take back and treatment for complete ELVs;
  • Rising targets for re-use, recycling and recovery must be achieved by economic operators by January 2006 and 2015

Vehicle data show that currently:

  • Around 2 million vehicles are scrapped in the UK every year
  • Around 1.2 million of these go to vehicle dismantlers in the first instance
  • The remaining 0.6 million go directly to scrap yards.

Further background information can be found in Waste Strategy 2000 at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/cm4693/15.htm. However the situation has moved on since that document was published, and the FAQs below set out a more up to date position. Some data on materials in ELVs and recycling rates (from 2000) is available on the DTI website at: www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/downloads/elv.pdf pdf file (44 KB)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

These FAQs are designed to address the issues related to the ELV Directive, and are not intended to provide a comprehensive view of the Regulation.

If you require further information on the Directive please consult:

Q1. What are the main requirements of the ELV Directive?

Specifically, the ELV directive's main requirements are for member states to ensure that:

  • Producers limit the use of hazardous substances and increase the quantity of recycled material used in the manufacture of their vehicles; and that producers design vehicles for easy recycling
  • As of 2007, producers pay all or a significant part of the costs of free take-back of no or negative value vehicles to a treatment facility;
  • Producers meet certain recovery and recycling targets by 1 January 2006 and 1 January 2015; and
  • Treatment facilities have permits if they want to deal with ELVs and should operate to higher environmental standards.
Q2. What is the current situation?
  • The DTI issued a final consultation on UK implementation of Articles 5 & 7 of the ELV Directive on 4 February 2004. The closing date was 30 March 2004
  • Vehicle manufacturers are due to provide Producer Plans detailing contracting arrangements for recycling their ELVs by 1 July 2005 in order for sufficient capacity to be in place to deal with all ELVs by 1 January 2006.
Q3. Why has there been a delay in transposing the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive into UK legislation?

It is important that we implement the Directive properly rather than rush through legislation that turns out to be ill judged; and this is a complex Directive with many implications for different businesses, organisations and motorists. Most other Member States also failed to transpose on time which underlines the complexity of this Directive.

Q4. Who is to pay for the costs of implementing the Directive?

The Government will require vehicle manufacturers and importers to meet the costs of take-back and treatment of vehicles sold after 1 July 2002, in accordance with the terms of the Directive, as soon as regulations to that effect can be introduced.

Producers are also to pay for "all or a significant part" of the costs of free take-back and treatment of all ELVs from 1 January 2007. The Directive gives flexibility to Member States in deciding how to fund take-back and treatment between 2002 and 2007. The Government announced on 21 June 2003 that, until 2007, the "last owner" of the vehicle would continue to have responsibility for its disposal.

Q5. How are other Member States financing the implementation of the Directive?

Consultants Perchards have produced a report on ELV implementation measures in other EU Member States.

Q6. Do we have treatment facilities to deal with ELVs?

Treatment facilities in the UK have sufficient technology to treat undepolluted ELVs, as required by the Directive. Some of these already met the increased requirements of the Directive before the ELV Regulations came into force, as these measures build upon the provisions in the Waste Framework Directive, which have applied in the UK since 1995.

Q7. What targets are set by the Directive?

Article 7 requires economic operators to attain a reuse and recovery target of 85% for all ELVs by 1 January 2006 and within this, a target of 80% for reuse and recycling, increasing to 95% and 85% respectively in 2015. The principle of producer responsibility means that producers should increasingly take responsibility for their products once they become waste and ensure that vehicles are increasingly designed for recycling.

Q8. Which Department leads on the implementation of the Directive?

The DTI leads on implementation of the majority of the ELV Directive, while Defra leads on the implementation of Article 6. Under Article 6 of the Directive all facilities treating end-of-life vehicles are required to have a permit. Previously, dismantlers and other scrap operators have had a mixture of waste management licenses and registered exemptions from licensing. Since 1 February 2004 all treatment facilities should hold a new permit that will allow them to operate on an equal footing. A condition of the permit is that all sites must meet the minimum technical standards required by the Directive.

Page last modified: 1 April 2005
Page published: 5 February 2003

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs