What is WEEE?
WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) is said to be the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. It is a classification used for products that need batteries or have a plug, such as household appliances (fridges, toasters), IT gear (computes, phones), consumer equipment (TVs, radios), lighting and monitoring equipment (lightbulbs, smoke detectors), electrical tools, toys, and medical devices.
Why is it importance to properly manage and dispose of WEEE?
WEEE features a complex mix of product types and materials, some of which can be hazardous. Therefore, WEEE presents a number of potential risks and problems:
- The environment: most electronic devices contain toxic materials (such as mercury or lead) and improper disposal allows harmful pollutants to leak into and bio-accumulate in nature
- Human health: if WEEE disposal does cause environmental pollution, then bioaccumulated toxins may be consumed by people, having negative health consequences
- The climate emergency: WEEE can produce methane emissions (a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide), contributing to climate change
- Resource scarcity: many of the minerals used in electronic devices are finite, meaning there is only so much of them available for use. By recycling electronics, we can ensure some of these materials are recovered, and re-used in new devices, so that we are less likely to run out of necessary metals in the future
- The economy: almost a huge £12 billion worth of electronic waste is illegally dumped every year (which is 90% of all electronic waste!) according to The UN Environment Programme
How does this affect you?
UK households contain over £1 billion of unused or unwanted electrical equipment, according to a recent government report. Even householders have a duty to dispose of this waste properly, with their options being: take WEEE items to household waste recycling or civic amenity centres; contact their local authority for collection; or arrange for retailers to collect old items when they purchase a new replacement.
How does this affect businesses?
The most preferable option for handling waste is to prevent the waste arising in the first place, or to re-use items. However, when it comes to WEEE, consumers and businesses are somewhat limited in their ability to prevent waste arising or to re-use items. This is due to a major problem termed built-in obsolescence: manufactures intentionally shorten the lifespan of electrical products to sell more items to consumers. Until improved policies resolve this issue, WEEE recycling remains a focus.
WEEE recycling is a specialist sub-sector of the waste industry, and because of the implementation of the WEEE Directive, this sector is growing. The EU WEEE Directive 2012 regulates the management of electrical and electronic waste, and it is applied in the UK by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013. These regulations help increase WEEE recycling by placing an extended responsibility on the producers of electronic and electrical items, ensuring that producers finance the collection, treatment, and recovery of WEEE.
Businesses and organisations that use electrical and electronic goods must ensure that separately collected WEEE is treated and recycled. Such organisations can benefit from the obligations of distributors (under the WEEE regulations) – they must offer a take-back system that disposes WEEE items for free. Distributors can offer a free in-store take-back scheme whereby WEEE items are accepted from customers purchasing equivalent new items, or they can offer a distributor take-back scheme in which consumers can dispose of WEEE for free at designated collection facilities.
How can Albion help?
Albion is an experienced training organisation that delivers a wide range of training for organisations across the UK. As such, we can provide training to those who produce, handle, and manage WEEE, to help them understand their obligations and ensure they comply with the relevant waste regulations on WEEE (and other forms of waste). In addition to this, we also provide sustainability training courses, for companies that are looking to lower their impact on the environment.
The results of such training can help ensure that businesses are compliant with waste regulations, and it can generate significant cost savings. To find out more about the help we can provide, please visit our website (https://www.albion-environmental.co.uk) or contact Jane Bond janebond@albion-environmental.co.uk