With effect from July 2008, the UK’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations require that all producers of electrical equipment are obliged to pay for recycling of household electrical goods, where previously this bill was met by councils or items were not recycled at all. These regulations also require that all retailers both actively assist in delivering a UK wide WEEE collection infrastructure and encourage the participation of consumers in recycling electronic equipment.
Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams and much of it can be recycled and resources recovered to make new consumer goods. To remind consumers that goods should be recycled, all electrical items sold now carry the ‘crossed out wheeled bin’ symbol.
PURE Digital has contributed towards a national fund which is used to help local councils to further develop their waste electronics collection facilities, which will in turn allow producers of this equipment to meet their obligations.
Not all council sites are suitable to collect all types of waste electrical goods but to find out your nearest participating site (including other collection facilities that may not be operated by the council) and for advice on all aspects of recycling at home, please visit www.recycle-more.co.uk.
In order to partially meet our obligations as a distributor as defined in the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations (SI 2006 No. 3289 – 11 December 2006) (referred to hereafter as “the WEEE Regulations”), we have opted to become a full member of the Distributor Take back Scheme (DTS).
Membership of the DTS is defined in regulations 35 of the WEEE Regulations and delivers exemption from the requirements of regulation 31 (to “ensure that WEEE from private households can be returned to him free of charge and on a one-to-one basis”) and regulation 34(1) (maintenance of records).
As a member of the DTS, we have made a financial contribution toward the development of the network of Designated Collection Facilities (DCF’s) instead of offering in store take back of WEEE. This financial contribution is described in paragraphs 83 to 88 of the UK WEEE guidance, and has been used to improve the WEEE collection facilities located at Local Authority Civic Amenity sites.
In addition, through our support of the national recycling website, www.recycle-more.co.uk, we will also meet our obligations under regulation 33 to make information available to users of EEE in private households on:
Recycling in the home is easy when you know how! On recycle-more.co.uk there are lots of handy hints to help you reduce waste, recycle rubbish and reuse household items you may have otherwise thrown away! www.recycle-more.co.uk
If you have any questions please contact sales@pure.com.