What is the WEEE Directive?

WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, and that definition includes virtually any household or non-household equipment that uses a battery or plug. It aims to reduce the impact of equipment that has reached the end of its lifecycle.

In the modern world, our devices and appliances quickly become outdated as a new, improved version becomes available. Too often, old devices are carelessly thrown out and end up in landfill.

This unnecessary waste takes up a lot of space in landfill sites, but there is a more dangerous side effect. Many electrical and electronic items release harmful toxins into the air and water, which can be extremely damaging to the environment and human beings.

In 2002, the WEEE Directive was introduced in an attempt to address these environmental concerns.

How can my business comply with the WEEE Directive?

Virtually every business is affected by WEEE Regulations. It is essential that you understand and carry out certain responsibilities to avoid legal, regulatory and environmental repercussions.

WEEE Regulation compliance is essential if your business:

• Distributes, sells, imports or manufactures any electrical or electronic equipment (EEE)
• Repairs or refurbishes WEEE
• Treats, reprocesses, recovers or recycles WEEE
• Produces any WEEE

The WEEE Directive applies to all producers and distributors, big or small. A producer is defined as one of three things: a business that manufactures and sells WEEE under its own brand, a business that resells rebranded WEEE products, or any business importing or exporting WEEE into the UK or an EU member state professionally.

A distributor refers to companies that sell WEEE for household use through physical retail or wholesale outlets, the internet, TV shopping channels or other distance-selling systems.

How can I comply with WEEE Recycling responsibilities?

There are many types of WEEE items. Virtually all household appliances are included, as well as items like monitoring equipment, medical devices and certain toys.

Most businesses have certain electrical items that are regularly replaced. These include:

• Desktop computers and monitors
• Laptops
• Computer keyboards and mice
• Telephones (landline phones and video conferencing equipment)
• Mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, VR headsets etc.)
• Printers, scanners and photocopiers
• WiFi routers

The WEEE Directive means that the business types listed in the previous section must provide their customers with a facility to recycle their WEEE once they have purchased new equipment. This is undertaken either through a collection service or a convenient drop-off point.

If you need to dispose of several electrical/electronic items simultaneously, it is best to go with a reputable waste disposal company. Converge, offers a collection service that puts your legal compliance, security and environmental protection at the forefront of the entire process.

Book a collection here and leave it with us - there will be complete traceability for the entire process, with evidence of the WEEE transfer at the point of collection.

_{*Free collection subject to minimum requirements.}

WEEE Recycling you can rely on

Converge has an award-winning, permitted recycling facility. We are externally audited against our waste-to-landfill pledges and with our help, your end-of-life assets will be recycled securely in an environmentally-friendly way.

If you are interested in recycling your assets with Converge, or would like to learn more about what we do, contact us. Our team of friendly experts will be happy to help.