The amount of aid for the repair of electrical and electronic equipment will rise in July and the repairmen will encourage or even force the largest, such as Fnac or Carrefour, to join the system, the Government announced this Thursday, which judges that the “repair fund” starts very slowly.
The “repair bonus”, created by law to encourage the French to repair more and thus extend the useful life of their equipment, was implemented in mid-December. To date, some 20,000 repairs have benefited from this bonus, which ranges from 10 to 45 euros depending on the device.
But its “deployment is already a little late”, told the press the Secretary of State for Ecology Bérangère Couillard, who receives interested eco-organizations, NGOs, manufacturers, consumer associations on Thursday…
The objective of the Repair Fund is to allocate 410 million euros in bonds from 2022 to 2027, a budget financed by the “eco-contribution” included in the price of all devices.
However, until the end of 2023 some 62 million euros are planned. “These 62 million euros are not intended to sleep in a bank account, they are intended for the French, it is an ecological measure but also one of purchasing power. I will be forced to take measures so that it is deployed more quickly,” said Ms. Couillard.
This reinforced bonus should come into force on July 1
The Government will ask the eco-organizations to double the bonuses, which will go from, for example, 10 to 20 euros for small household appliances (hair dryers, etc.) or up to 90 euros for computers. Previously excluded services, such as the exchange of broken glass on phones, will be included, he added.
This reinforced bond should enter into force on July 1, to be maintained at least until the end of the year, when a new evaluation is made, the Secretary of State specified.
In addition, “the results are mixed in the number of repairmen” specially labeled “QualiRépar”: 1,200 today, when we should be at 1,500 to reach 4,000 by the end of the year, estimates Ms. Couillard.
Therefore, the Government wants to reduce, “at least by half”, the cost of affiliation of small repairmen, which today is 500 euros. And “I want the big brands to play the game. Otherwise, I will force them by decree this summer,” he warned, citing Auchan, Fnac, Apple, Darty, Carrefour.
Electrical and electronic products generated 1.8 million tons of waste in 2022, a tonnage that has returned to its pre-COVID-19 level.
Source: BFM TV
