The WEEE Directive
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive becomes law from August 2004 although it is unlikely to be properly enforced until 2006. The main objective of the directive is to reduce electrical waste and increase recovery and recycling of electronic and electrical equipment so minimising the environmental impact of such products.
The products that the directive affects include:
- Large cooling appliances
- Electric radiators
- Domestic air conditioning
- Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment
- Smoke detectors
- Domestic boilers
- Thermostats
- Controls
The directive requires:
- Separate collection of WEEE equipment
- Treatment according to standards
- Recovery and recycling
- Producer of equipment to pay from collection onwards
- Option for business users to pay some or all of the costs
- Retailers to offer take-back
- Consumers to return WEEE equipment free of charge
Contractors / consultants should take dismantling, recovery, reuse, and recycling of products into account during product specification.
Collection facilities in place by August 2005:
- Retailers can collect old upon delivery of new
- Non-household WEEE to be collected by producers or third parties
- All WEEE to be taken to treatment facilities or reused
- WEEE must be transported in such a way as to avoid damage
There will be penalties for breaches of the directive and these will be set by the government. The penalties are to be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive and inspection and monitoring will be carried out to verify proper implementation.
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