|
|
What is
WEEE
Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is the name given to the surplus, obsolete,
broken, or discarded electrical or electronic devices, including mobile
phones, and their constituent parts. WEEE is sometimes also referred to
as e-waste or e-scrap. As sales of electronic and electrical devices
increase in developing countries, concern for the safe disposal of these
goods has grown, particularly as they contain substances that can be
highly toxic if allowed to escape into the environment.
Associated with the WEEE
directory is the The
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS)
2002/95/EC which places restrictions on the use of certain hazardous
substances in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment.
What is the
WEEE Directive?
The Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment Directive 2002/96/EC is a European directive that
places responsibility for the disposal of electrical and electronic
equipment on the manufacturers of the goods. The directive also set
targets for the collection, recycling and recovery of all types of
electrical and electronic devices.
Has the
Directive become UK law?
The Directive is
implemented in the UK through The Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment Regulations 2006, which came into force in 2007. Some
aspects of the regulations apply only in England and Wales, and will be
supplemented by similar but separate legislation to be introduced in
Scotland and Northern Ireland.
How does
the Directive affect consumers?
The WEEE Directive does not
require by law that consumers dispose of electrical and electronic
equipment (EEE) in a certain way.
However, the UK government
strongly advises consumers to dispose of e-waste in an environmentally
and socially responsible way, by separating it from ordinary household
waste and arranging for it to be re-used or safely recycled. Local
authorities are required by the Directive to provide free of charge
collection facilities for WEEE, and many retailers now offer a free
in-store take-back service.
By recycled their
unwanted EEE,
consumers can play their part in saving energy and resources and
avoiding hazardous substances from going into landfill, leaking out into
the environment and damaging human health.
How does
the Directive affect retailers?
The WEEE Directive makes a
distinction between electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) that is
sold to businesses and that which is sold to domestic users.
Regarding the EEE that has
been sold to domestic users, the Directive requires retailers:
 |
To
provide consumers information about the environmental effects of
WEEE and about the need for separate collection of household
WEEE. |
|
|
To
facilitate the free of charge ‘take-back’ of household WEEE,
either by joining the Distributor Take-back Scheme or collecting
WEEE in-store or through local collection points. |
|
|
To
keep records of the information they provide and the household
WEEE they receive. |
Regarding the EEE that has
been sold to businesses, the Directive makes no formal requirements of
retailers. Businesses wishing to dispose of their EEE will need to use
the services of a registered waste carrier to dispose of their e-waste
safely and in compliance with the Directive.
How does
the Directive affect manufacturers and producers?
Under the WEEE Directive,
manufacturers and producers are defined as those companies who either
make electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in the UK or import it
into the UK.
As the original source of
the EEE that ends up as WEEE or ‘e-waste’, manufacturers and producers
are given the greatest responsibility under the Directive, which holds
them responsible for the collection and recovery or recycling of the
e-waste that their goods become.
The Directive requires the
manufacturers and producers of electrical and electronic goods to
undertake the following:
|
|
To mark all
products covered by the Directive with the crossed-out wheelie
bin symbol (shown below), indicating that the product is subject
to separate collection at end-of-life, under the WEEE directive. |
|
|
To provide a fully
functioning return system whereby those wishing to return
end-of-life electronic and electrical goods can do so.
|
|
|
To join a ‘WEEE
Compliance Scheme’, which ensures that all the waste they put
into the UK economy is properly accounted for, right up to the
end of its life. These schemes enable companies to comply with
the WEEE Directive by collecting and recycling e-waste on their
behalf, and reporting back to the Environment Agency.
|
Which
products are covered by the WEEE Directive?
WEEE covers 10 categories
of electronic and electrical products:
-
Large household appliances
|
|
Large cooling
appliances |
|
|
Refrigerators |
|
|
Freezers
|
|
|
Other large
appliances used for refrigeration, conservation and storage of
food |
|
|
Washing machines
|
|
|
Clothes dryers
|
|
|
Dish washing
machines |
|
|
Cooking
|
|
|
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 conditioner
appliances |
|
|
Other fanning,
exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment |
-
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 |
-
IT
and telecommunications equipment
|
|
Mainframes
|
|
|
Minicomputers
|
|
|
Printer units
|
|
|
Personal computers
(CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)
|
|
|
Laptop computers
(CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included)
|
|
|
Notebook computers
|
|
|
Notepad 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 |
-
Consumer equipment
|
|
Radio sets
|
|
|
Television sets
|
|
|
Video cameras
|
|
|
Video recorders
|
|
|
Hi-Fi recorders
|
|
|
Audio amplifiers
|
|
|
Musical instruments
|
|
|
And 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 |
-
Lighting equipment
|
|
Luminaires for
fluorescent lamps with the exception of luminaires 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 |
-
Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale
stationary industrial 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 |
-
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
|
-
Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected
products)
|
|
Radiotherapy
equipment |
|
|
Cardiology
equipment |
|
|
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 |
-
Monitoring and control instruments
|
|
Smoke detectors
|
|
|
Heating regulators
|
|
|
Thermostats
|
|
|
Measuring, weighing
or adjusting appliances for household or as laboratory equipment
|
|
|
Other monitoring
and control instruments used in industrial installations (e.g.
in control panels) |
-
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 |
|
|
|
