Recycling Articles : WEEE Directive: Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment

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The WEEE Directive is short for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and officially become regulation here in the UK on July the 1st 2007. The aim of the Directive is to increase the recovery and recycling levels of all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) waste in order to prevent these recyclable and reusable products from going to landfill.

These measures have been implemented because WEEE waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and estimates reveal that on average a single person will produce over 3 tonnes of WEEE waste in their lifetime alone.

This new Directive effects everyone from manufactures and retailers to consumers and here at Abacus we hope to explain to you what it all means, in plain english.

Who the WEEE Directive affects

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive affects the following:

All producers and manufacturers of EEE for sale in the UK under brand name or otherwise have a number of responsibilities, including:

* Provide Information - Producers of EEE must provide information to assist in both the treatment and reuse of EEE such as details on the type of materials used to produce equipment and whether the equipment contains any hazardous components

* Mark Products - All EEE products must be specifically marked with a crossed out wheelie bin symbol to show that the product is not to be disposed of via the wheelie bin or any other regular form of waste disposal

* Collection & Treatment - All producers of EEE equipment are financially responsible for the collection, treatment, disposal and recovery of all WEEE waste they produce or replace with new EEE, with the amount calculated by the amount of WEEE waste produced

* Producer Compliance Scheme - All producers of EEE equipment will have to join a producer compliance scheme

EEE Distributors

All distributors of EEE who sell EEE to an end user either through wholesale, in-store or over the internet, or directly to consumers will have two main responsibilities:

* Provide Information - Distributors of EEE will have to provide information to the public on the impact WEEE waste has on the environment, why WEEE waste should be separated from other waste streams, how WEEE can be treated and recycled and what the crossed out wheelie bin symbol means

* Take-Back Systems - Distributors of EEE will have to provide a system that allows their customers to take back any WEEE waste purchased through them free of charge either in-store or through a distributor take back scheme

Businesses that purchase EEE

All Businesses that purchase EEE for business purposes will need to finance and regulate the safe and environmentally friendly disposal of all WEEE they produce, unless they are purchasing EEE products from a producer who sold them their previous EEE, in which case it is the producer’s obligation to collect and treat the resulting WEEE waste.
Recycling & EEE

Recycling centres, contractors and local authorities will have to provide more recycling services and options for householders, the general public and businesses to dispose of their WEEE safely and effectively.
The general public & EEE

The general public are under no obligation to recycle their WEEE waste, however, every household will be encouraged to do so by way of education. Businesses will also be encouraged to inform the general public about WEEE and WEEE retailers will operate a system whereby consumers will be able to send their WEEE waste back. Furthermore local authorities will open up WEEE waste collection centres or add the service to existing waste management centres.

WEEE Directive objectives

Over 1 million tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic equipment goes to landfill every year here in the UK which isn’t very healthy for the environment, for not only is most WEEE waste toxic, but we are also running out of landfills.
Objectives of WEEE Directive

* To increase recycling targets - WEEE waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and most of it can be reused in one form or another

* To save on landfill space - the UK is running out of landfill space and given that WEEE waste is the fastest growing waste stream, it isn’t logical at all to cram such vast sums of waste into what little landfill space we have left

* To reduce pollution - WEEE waste is full of hazardous materials such as lead which is toxic to kidneys and nervous and reproductive systems

* To encourage manufacturers to think green - the WEEE Directive now makes it the responsibility of the EEE producers to take care of the treatment and recovery of their WEEE waste which is hoped will force them to rethink their designs and strategies, to use more environmentally friendly materials and methods.

WEEE recycling crossed out wheelie bin symbol

WEEE Recycling SymbolAll new Electrical and Electronic Equipment manufactured, produced and sold within the UK from June 2006 will display the crossed out wheelie bin symbol on the packaging, product or product components.

This symbol basically means “do not put me into the wheelie bin because I can be repaired, reused or recycled” and means that you must separate your WEEE waste from your household waste and take measures to recycle it.

You can do that by taking the product to Currys for example who will recycle it for you free of charge regardless of whether you bought the product from them as part of the WEEE distributor take-back scheme all distributors have to comply with, or you can give it away, try to sell it or take it yourself to a recycling centre that accepts WEEE waste.

With WEEE waste the fastest growing waste stream in the UK and landfill space decreasing, it is therefore imperative we all (business and consumer) do everything we can to recycle as much WEEE waste as we can, in order to keep it away from landfills and thus prevent pollution to the environment.

WEEE category 1: Large household appliances

* Large cooling appliances

* Refrigerators

* Freezers

* Other large appliances used for refrigeration, conservation and storage of food

* Washing machines

* Clothes dryers

* Dish washers

* Cookers

* Electric stoves

* Electric hot plates

* Microwaves

* Other large appliances used for cooking and other processing of food

* Electric heating appliances

* Electric radiators

* Other large appliances for heating rooms, beds, seating furniture

* Electric fans

* Air conditioners

* Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment

WEEE category 2: Small household appliances

* Vacuum cleaners

* Carpet sweepers

* Other appliances for cleaning

* Appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing for textiles

* Irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing

* Toasters

* Fryers

* Grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages

* Electric knives

* Appliances for hair-cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances

* Clocks, watches and equipment for the purpose of measuring, indicating or registering time

* Scales

WEEE category 3: IT and telecommunications equipment

Centralised data processing:

* Mainframes

* Minicomputers

* Printer units

Personal computing:

* Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)

* Lap-top computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)

* Note-book computers

* Note-pad computers

* Printers

* Copying equipment

* Electrical and electronic typewriters

* Pocket and desk calculators

* Other products and equipment for the collection, storage, processing, presentation or communication of information by electronic means

* User terminals and systems

* Facsimile

* Telex

* Telephones

* Pay telephones

* Cordless telephones

* Cellular telephones

* Answering systems

* Other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by telecommunications

WEEE category 4: Consumer equipment

* Radio sets

* Television sets

* Video cameras

* Video recorders

* Hi-fi recorders

* Audio amplifiers

* Musical instruments

* Other products or equipment for the purpose of recording or reproducing sound or images, including signals or other technologies for the distribution of sound and image than by telecommunications

WEEE category 5: Lighting equipment

* Luminaries for fluorescent lamps with the exception of luminaries in households

* Straight fluorescent lamps

* Compact fluorescent lamps

* High intensity discharge lamps, including pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps

* Low pressure sodium lamps

* Other lighting or equipment for the purpose of spreading or controlling light with the exception of filament bulbs

WEEE category 6: Electrical and electronic tools

* Drills

* Saws

* Sewing machines

* Equipment for turning, milling, sanding, grinding, sawing, cutting, shearing, drilling, making holes, punching, folding, bending or similar processing of wood, metal and other materials

* Tools for riveting, nailing or screwing or removing rivets, nails, screws or similar uses

* Tools for welding, soldering or similar use

* Equipment for spraying, spreading, dispersing or other treatment of liquid or gaseous substances by other means

* Tools for mowing or other gardening activities

WEEE category 7: Toys, leisure and sports equipment

* Electric trains or car racing sets

* Hand-held video game consoles

* Video games

* Computers for biking, diving, running, rowing, etc.

* Sports equipment with electric or electronic components

* Coin slot machines

WEEE category 8: Medical devices

* Radiotherapy equipment

* Cardiology

* Dialysis

* Pulmonary ventilators

* Nuclear medicine

* Laboratory equipment for in-vitro diagnosis

* Analysers

* Freezers

* Fertilization tests

* Other appliances for detecting, preventing, monitoring, treating, alleviating illness, injury or disability

WEEE category 9: Monitoring and control equipment

* Smoke detector

* Heating regulators

* Thermostats

* Measuring, weighing or adjusting appliances for household or as laboratory equipment

* Other monitoring and control instruments used in industrial installations

WEEE category 10: Automatic dispensers

* Automatic dispensers for hot drinks

* Automatic dispensers for hot or cold bottles or cans

* Automatic dispensers for solid products

* Automatic dispensers for money

* All appliances which deliver automatically all kind of products

If you produce or sell any of the above products you have a responsibility to provide a sufficient system for when the product becomes redundant for it to be collected and disposed of safely.

If you are a producer or manufacture of Electrical and Electronic Equipment then you are financially responsible for the collection, treatment, disposal and recovery of all WEEE waste they produce or replace with new EEE, with the amount calculated by the amount of WEEE waste produced.

If you are a distributor or retailer of Electrical and Electronic Equipment then you have to provide a sufficient take-back scheme or nominate a third party to carry out this role for you, free of charge to the end user, i.e. consumers who buy your products.

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