The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive comes into force in August this year, but will not be implemented until August 2005.

Although the general framework has been agreed - the producer has ultimate responsibility for disposing of waste - the finer details have still to be thrashed out.

And industry and government are still trying to come to some agreement over a number of issues, such as who pays for orphaned and historical waste, and consultations are still ongoing.

This Special Report looks at the story so far and how it affects companies, consumers and public bodies.