Environment Agency data released this month has uncovered the scale of WEEE non-compliance of products sold through online marketplaces.
For the last four-and-a-half months of 2025, online marketplaces were legally required to report sales of electrical products imported into the UK via their platforms. That data showed an annual market share of 13.8% for consumer lamps and 11.8% for consumer luminaires.
Commenting on the news, Nigel Harvey, CEO of Recolight, a UK not-for-profit compliance scheme for lighting waste recycling and sustainability, says, “At last we can see the true extent of WEEE non-compliance through online marketplaces.
“What is more, one of the largest operators, eBay, does not yet appear in the list of compliant producers. So, once [its] data is also included, and it is grossed up into a full-year equivalent, market shares could well be over 25% for consumer luminaires and over 35% for consumer lamps.
“The really good news for the lighting industry is that, at long last, online sellers will be forced to pay their share of WEEE costs. Recolight has worked tirelessly to see this change introduced over many years, and we are very grateful to current and former Defra staff who made this happen.”
The WEEE regulations were amended last year and, from 12 August 2025, online marketplaces have been required to start collecting data for all electrical goods brought into the UK via their platforms.
Market shares are calculated using the weight of products placed on the market.
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