LEGAL INFORMATION

WEEE Policies and Procedures

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive or WEEE Directive was introduced into UK law in January 2007 by the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations 2006

The WEEE Directive is intended to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment being produced, and to encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover IT products. All sensitive information and computers must be disposed of in a secure manner

Back in 2007, the WEEE directive was issued as the need for retaining valuable resources became more apparent. Electronics contain precious metals such as gold, platinum and palladium which are not renewable resources, so retrieving these metals is incredibly important for reusing in other electronic components.

IT manufacturers and businesses like EAS have to adhere to the WEEE rules and regulations put forward. It is the responsibility of both the manufacturers and businesses to correctly dispose of/recycle their electronic equipment when it is at the end of life.

EA Systems and Support uses, sells, distributes and recycles electronic equipment or components, and therefore we have to adhere to the government WEEE directive

The regulations are applicable to any business that uses electronics that operate within a 1000 volts AC or 1500 volts DC. There are ten separate categories of equipment that fall under the legislation:

• Small household appliances – toasters, kettles, microwaves etc.
• Large household appliances – fridges, dishwashers, dryers etc.
• Consumer electronics – DVD players, TV’s, telephones etc.
• Electrical tools – drills, glue guns, soldering irons etc.
• Monitoring and control devices – thermostats, smoke detectors etc.
• IT & Telecoms equipment – computer screens, office phones, PC hardware etc.
• Electronic medical devices – X-ray machines, defibrillators, thermometers etc.
• Leisure & sports electronics and toys – fitness watches, RC toys, electronic exercise equipment etc.
• Automatic dispensers – soap dispensers, sanitizer dispensers etc.
• Lighting equipment – light fixtures, bulbs, wiring etc.

All households and businesses will receive warning letters and formal cautions if we are seen to not be complying with the WEEE directive, giving ample chance to adjust your processes.

If we fail to comply after warnings and cautions have been given, we may face a fine of up to £5000 at a magistrates court, up to an unlimited fine if the case goes to a crown court.

This is why it’s imperative that our electronic waste disposal processes adhere to the WEEE directive.