Mayglothling Waste - Total Waste Management Services
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
(WEEE Directive)
Are You Prepared for WEEE?
(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006)
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) aims to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment, by increasing re-use and recycling and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill. It seeks to achieve this by making producers responsible for financing the collection, treatment, and recovery of waste electrical equipment, and by obliging distributors to allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive was agreed on 13 February 2003, along with the related Directive on Restrictions of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
The implementation of the WEEE Directive in the UK has been delayed, as it was due to come into force by 13 August 2005.
The UK Regulations implementing the WEEE Directive were laid before Parliament on 12 December 2006 and enter into force on 2 January 2007.
Get a copy of the directive HERE 
(406Kb)
The WEEE Regulations place new duties of responsibility on businesses to legally dispose of Waste Electronic Equipment.
What is EEE?
EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) includes (but is not limited to):
- Large & Small household appliances - "white goods"
- IT and Telecommunications equipment
- Lighting equipment
- Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large static industrial tools)
- Toys, leisure and sports equipment
- Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products)
- Monitoring and control instruments
Who is affected?
Almost everyone:
- Producers
- Retailers
- Distributors
- End Users
What do I need to do?
Responsibilities vary, depending on your position in the supply chain. The Landfill Regulations require any business producing hazardous waste, however small a part this may be of their business, to obtain a Waste Producers License from the Environmental Agency.
Producers must:
- Join a compliance Scheme
- Mark equipment with the "crossed out wheelie bin" symbol.
- Fund the collection, treatment and recycling of “new” WEEE unless the end user agrees otherwise.
- Fund the collection, treatment and recycling of “old” WEEE replaced on a like for like basis.
Compliance with the WEEE is also an audited part of the ISO 14001 environmental standard.
Please contact us to discuss the obligations specific to your business situation, and find out how we can help ensure you are fully compliant.
Householders:
Do you know what this logo means?
It tells you that you should not put any item with this logo on it into normal household waste. Manufacturers now have a legal responsibility to clearly display the "crossed out wheely Bin" icon on products which need to be treated before they are desposed of.
There are countless instances of electronic equipment in the home which contains the environmentally damaging substances such as Lead, Cadmium, Cathrode Ray Tubes (CRT) Monitors, etc.
The WEEE Directive does not place all the responsibility on the consumers for disposing and recycling electronic appliances.
The regulations place a duty of responsibility on retailers to offer a "take back" service for the electronics that they sell. You should separate anything that carries the "crossed out wheelie bin" symbol from your normal household waste, and return it to where you purchased it from.
Succesful prosecutions have already been brought against waste producers who have tried to ignore their responsibilities!
Mayglothling Waste can help you prepare for these new responsibilities, and help you with the legal disposal of your electrical, electronic, computer and telecoms equipment. Call us on 01544 230364 to find out how we can help
For further details, or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Mayglothling Waste on our Head Office number, 01544 230364 or use our Contact page .