WEEE Regulations:
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is now UK law. The
legislation aims to make producers pay for the collection, treatment and recovery
of waste electrical equipment. The regulations also mean that suppliers of equipment
like high street shops and internet retailers must allow consumers to return their
waste equipment free of charge.
The amount of WEEE we throw away is increasing by around 5% each year, making it
the fastest growing waste stream in the UK.
- Much of the UK’s WEEE ends up in landfill, where the lead and other toxins it contains
can cause soil and water contamination. This can have a harmful effect on natural
habitat, wildlife and also human health.
- Many electrical items that we throw away can be repaired or recycled. Recycling
items helps to save our natural finite resources and also reduces the environmental
and health risks associated with sending electrical goods to landfill.
Distributors of new Electric and Electronic Equipment (EEE) have a part to play
in reducing the amount of WEEE going into landfill sites.
Sarnau Army Surplus Ltd is obliged under these regulations to offer our customers
free take-back of their WEEE on a like-for-like basis when they buy a new Electrical
or Electronic product from us.
For example, if a customer bought a new strimmer from us we would accept their old
strimmer and prevent it going into a landfill site by disposing of it safely. Customers
must return their WEEE item to us within 28 days of purchasing their new item.
Under the WEEE Regulations, all new electrical goods should now be marked with the
crossed-out wheeled bin symbol shown below:
Goods are marked with this symbol to show that they were produced after 13th August
2005, and should be disposed of separately from normal household waste so that they
can be recycled.