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Wincanton is investing more than £5m in a second Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling facility, which will open in the Midlands by the end of the year. Under the EU WEEE Directive, which came into force on 1 July 2007, manufacturers are responsible for financing the collection, treatment, and recovery of waste electrical equipment, while retailers must enable consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge. Wincanton's new facility will be capable of treating  up to 100,000 tonnes of WEEE a year, adding to the capacity of its Billingham, Teesside plant, which has been operational since March 2006.

The haulier says it has seen a slow build in demand for its WEEE collection and recycling services since the regulations became law last summer. "There hasn't been a huge rush since 1 July as a lot of businesses and local authorities are still unaware of their obligations under the directive," says Wincanton commercial manager, recycling Simon Hill. However, Hill anticipates that over the next two years Wincanton's WEEE service will continue to increase as people become more aware of their responsibilities.

Jon Godfrey, managing director of WEEE recycling specialist Life Cycle Services, says: "The WEEE collection and treatment market is very competitive and Wincanton is a small player in this space. I also know that a lot of WEEE treatment facilities are under-used - some are almost running idle. If Wincanton can justify the investment  in a new plant because of the contracts it has secured, then it should survive in this over-crowded marketplace," says Godfrey. Wincanton has also extended its partnership with retail chain Comet to undertake a national reverse logistics and asset recovery scheme, in addition to the fridge, white goods and WEEE recycling services it has provided to Comet over the past five years.