The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 

Existing within the EU, transposed into UK law on 1 January 2007 for business to business waste and for business to consumer waste on 1 July 2007.

 

Summary

This was published on 13th February 2003 and has significant implications for importers, producers and retailers of electrical and electronic equipment. It aims to reduce the amount of electrical waste, increase recovery and recycling, and improve the environmental performance of all operators involved in the lifecycle of electrical and electronic equipment. Examples of equipment that will be covered by the Directive are household appliances, IT and telecommunications equipment, audiovisual equipment (TV, video, hi-fi), lighting, electrical and electronic tools, toys, leisure and sports equipment.

The Directive requires that lamps (e.g. fluorescent tubes and low energy bulbs) be stored in their original packaging and taken to a designated recycling facility, as crushing lamps requires a waste management permit.

 

Implications

There is likely to be a lot of electronic equipment, wires and light bulbs on building sites. In line with WEEE the construction industry are now responsible for dealing with this waste, its collection and recycling.

The regulations will impact on the manufacturers of the affected products as it requires that they design their products in such a way that they can be reused. A further part of the WEEE Directive requirements are that these manufacturers must finance the collection, treatment and recovery of goods at the end of their lifetime.

 

Overlaps

None identified.

 

Opportunities

Opportunities exist for manufacturers of electrical goods to redesign products to aid repair and recovery of materials and also reduce costs. As such, those in the construction industry will be able to buy items with reduced environmental impact for inclusion in buildings.

 

Guidance

The following organisations provide guidance on the WEEE Directive