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Plans to improve collection and recycling of used electronic devices and reduce illegal exports of e-waste from the EU took a step forward yesterday after the EU Council set out proposed reforms to the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.

Environment ministers in the EU Council, including the UK's Caroline Spelman and Chris Huhne, yesterday outlined plans to revamp WEEE legislation to require individual member states to work towards collection targets based on their size and economic situation, rather than existing weight-based goals.

Countries are currently required to collect at least four kilograms of electric and electronic waste per person. However, the council yesterday proposed that countries should instead collect 45 per cent of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment in their national markets by 2016, with the target rising to 65 per cent by 2020.

For flexibility, countries using fewer electronic devices, such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, would be required to collect between 40 to 45 per cent by 2016 and achieve the 65 per cent target by 2022.

The agreement was broadly welcomed as a step towards tighter e-waste regulation, but the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) group of NGOs criticised the council for watering down targets previously proposed by the European Parliament and European Commission.

The commission had previously suggested in 2008 that member states should be required to collect 65 per cent of the average weight of e-waste in their national markets from 2016. The European Parliament then voted in February to raise the level of ambition to require member states to collect 85 per cent of all WEEE. It also made a series of proposals to help countries and businesses minimise e-waste, such as promoting individual producer responsibility which rewards producers for greener design, or setting a specific reuse target of e-waste.

Stephane Arditi, EEB Waste Policy Officer warned the council's lower targets proposed by the council could mean member states will not properly address the risks of illegal export and improper treatment of e-waste. He also criticised the council for "ignoring" parliament's proposals to help businesses, which he said could help create a more resource efficient economy.

"The council seems to think our ever growing waste problem is one we can just bury and ignore. This is a long way from the resource efficient society which we supposedly aim for and they are sticking with an out-dated approach to waste rather than looking at it as an opportunity to motivate e-waste recycling opportunities," he said.

"We not only need to be sure e-waste is properly collected and treated but start preventing its creation by building innovative products which can be easily reused and as well as recycled. We must start viewing waste as a resource and not a burden."

Negotiations for an agreement between the council and parliament are now slated to take place in the second half of this year.

However, the EEB did welcome the council's conclusions on the revised EU Mercury Strategy, which saw environment ministers pledge to take further steps to limit and phase out mercury emissions, both at an EU and international level.

"Environment ministers showed the European Commission should not delay measures on cutting back mercury use and should not wait for global developments but take action now," said Rachel Kamande, EEB Mercury project officer.