The WEEE Directive and how it affects you

EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

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. It was due to be transposed into Member State legislation by 13 August 2004 and 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. Non-Statutory Guidance was published on 28 February 2007 and revised in August 2007.

Factsheet on WEEE

The WEEE Regulations introduce new rules for producers, distributors, exporters of electrical and electronic equipment and householders. 

• If you manufacture, import or re-brand EEE and place it on the UK market, you will be a producer and must join a Producer Compliance Scheme (PCS) to discharge your producer obligations.  37 producer compliance schemes have been approved, a list is available via the link on the right hand column.

 

• If you provide new EEE directly to household users/consumers you will be a distributor, and must provide facilities to your customers to return old equipment free of charge.

 

• If you are a business end user of EEE you no longer need to pay for the disposal of EEE when it becomes waste, producers pay for the treatment, collection and recycling in most cases.

 

• Exporters will only be able to issue evidence of WEEE treatment or recovery overseas if they have been approved by the Environment Agency.

 

• Every year in the UK, households throw away around 1 million tonnes of WEEE such as TVs, fridges, hairdryers and computers.  Householders have no obligations under the Regulations but can help to recycle these goods.

 

•  You can find information about your nearest recycling centre from Recycle-more.co.uk.  

 

For more information please visit: http://www.dti.gov.uk