The WEEE (Waste Electrical Electronic
Equipment) directive came into effect on July 1st 2007. Introduced as
an effort to stem the flow of the burgeoning amount of electrical waste
piling up in landfill, the directive outlines significant implications
for what should be standard procedure in the disposal of electronic
items used commercially and personally.
While showcasing a number
of different aspects, it carries different implications and
responsibilities for manufacturers, distributors and consumers of
electronic goods. Summarised below are three sections outlining the
things you need to know in order to be in compliance with the WEEE
Directive.
Consumers/End Users
- Increased
measures implemented by local governments and councils ensure that
businesses and non-residential users are disposing of electronic
equipment in legal and environmentally safe methods. They are also now
asking that they provide proof of these disposal methods with certified
companies.
- Professional electrical waste disposal solutions
are essential for the WEEE directive. If your waste is found to be to
have been improperly disposed of, you may incur a fine or even
prosecution.
- Household users cannot simply dispose of
electronic equipment by putting it in the trash bin either. However,
the responsibility falls in part on the retailers and distributors to
offer recycling means for the consumer.
Manufactures / Producers
- Manufacturers
and producers of electrical products are now fully responsible for what
happens to the electronic goods they sell when those goods cease
functioning.
- By definition, a “manufacturer” or “producer” is
a company who either makes electrical equipment in the UK or imports
electrical equipment into the UK. It is basically the first point of
contact for electrical equipment in the UK.
- Manufactures have
to join a “WEEE Compliance Scheme” thus ensuring all waste put into the
UK market is accounted for, right up to the end of its life. Compliance
schemes have been established to look after the obligations of the
producers. Having to report directly to the Environmental Agency, these
Compliance Schemes collect and recycle waste on behalf of the
manufacturer and producer.
Distributors / Retailers
- Retailers
of electrical products also responsible for the recycling of any
electronic waste the sell into the UK market. They can provide in-store
take-back schemes which allow consumers to return their equipment to
the store for recycling, or join a Distributor Take Back Scheme, which
allows household users to send the equipment back to the distributor
for proper disposal.
- Any business wishing to dispose of their
electrical waste cannot return the equipment to the retailer they
purchased from, or any retailer for that matter. They must approach a
certified disposal company which ensures the proper disposal of the
electronic waste.
Understandably, all business would like
to follow the WEEE directive and meet their environmental obligations
with as little hassle as possible. echo offers certified disposal services that are WEEE compliant and traceable.
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