Posts Tagged ‘glasgow recycle’
WEEE Recycling: Data Destruction is Essential
May 5, 2012 | 
Author Your business data may no longer be of value to you once you have done what you need to do with it, but it is gold dust to your competitors. That is why any media, from paper to Flash memory cards, that contains business data must be thoroughly destroyed before disposal.
The risks of disposal of disks containing data that you may believe has been destroyed but has really just been lightly erased include putting yourself or your customers at risk for identity theft as well as making data available to unscrupulous individuals. Even recycling a computer to comply with WEEE recycling regulations does not include proper data destruction techniques.
These techniques include degaussing, in which magnetic patterns that conform to actual data are realigned so that the data is unreadable and unrecoverable, shredding, which entails shredding media into very fine bits that cannot be reassembled, and software wiping, in which all HEX values on the entire volume of a disk are overwritten using special software. In the United kingdom, such software must meet Data protection Act standards to be considered effective for data destruction.
Laptops, including internal hard disk drives and other internal media storage devices, must be recycled according to WEEE regulations (EU). However, if data remains available on any part of the device before, during or after WEEE recycling procedures, it still poses a threat to your business security. Therefore, devices that hold data and are subject to WEEE recycling regulations must undergo a thorough process of data destruction before recycling should take place.
Hard drive destruction is absolutely imperative before WEEE recycling can start. This is because even when a disk drive is seemingly erased, the information on it can be recovered and made available without your knowledge. Ensuring that an expert with security cleared personnel destroys the hard drive by methods such as degaussing and shredding is the only way you can be sure that any data that was ever available on a drive that is slated for disposal can never be accessed again. Software wiping is recommended only for hard disk drives that will be reused after the data stored on them is fully destroyed.
Media tape drives are also easily accessible if they are not fully and professionally destroyed prior to disposal. Degaussing and shredding are the most recommended techniques for destruction of media tape drives.
Even CD’s and DVD’s which contain sensitive and confidential data should never be disposed of without making the data completely inaccessible. Complete physical destruction of the media through precision shredding that is offered by professional media disposal firms is the only way to ensure that data on a CD or DVD is fully inaccessible.
Flash memory cards, external memory sticks, and similar devices must also be subject to data destruction measures if they have ever held sensitive data. A specialist firm which handles data destruction should be consulted regarding such memory devices as their small size makes it very easy for them to end up in the wrong hands.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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Tags: Business, Change, computer recycling, Data, Destruction, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, electrical waste recycling, Energy, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, recycle, Recycling, Reduce, Security, uk weee, Vital, Waste, waste management, weee | 
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Glasgow WEEE Recycling
What is WEEE?
The WEEE Directive requires countries to maximise separate collection and environmentally friendly processing of these items. In the UK, distributors (including retailers) must provide a system which allows all customers buying new electronic equipment the opportunity to recycle their old items free of charge. Those retailers must either join or set up their own take back scheme and must as a minimum offer all customers buying new electronic equipment free take back of their old electronics on a like-for-like basis.
Look for the “You can now recycle your old electricals with us” If you can’t see this take your business elsewhere.
There is so much talk these days about WEEE Recycling. But what is it exactly?
Why recycle?
Discarded electrical equipment is the UKs fastest growing type of waste.
Many electronic items can be repaired or recycled, saving natural resources and the environment. If you do not recycle, Waste electrical& Electronic Equipment will end up in landfill where hazardous substances will leak out and cause soil and water contamination – harming wildlife and also human health.
To remind you that old electrical equipment can be recycled, it is now marked with a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol. Please do not throw any electrical equipment (including those marked with this symbol) in your bin
Types of WEEE
1. Large household appliances
Large cooling appliances, Refrigerators, Freezers, Other large appliances used for refrigeration, conservation and storage of food, Washing machines, Clothes dryers, Dish washing machines, Cooking, Electric stoves, Electric hot plates, Microwaves, Other large appliances used for cooking and other processing of food, Electric heating appliances, Electric radiators, Other large appliances for heating rooms, beds, seating furniture, Electric fans, Air conditioner appliances, Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment
2. Small household appliances
Vacuum cleaners, Carpet sweepers, Other appliances for cleaning, Appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing for textiles, Irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing, Toasters, Fryers, Grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages, Electric knives, Appliances for hair-cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances, Clocks, watches and equipment for the purpose of measuring, indicating or registering time, Scales
3. IT and telecommunications equipment
Centralised data processing: Mainframes, Minicomputers, Printer units, Personal computing: Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), Laptop computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), Notebook computers, Notepad computers, Printers, Copying equipment, Electrical and electronic typewriters, Pocket and desk calculators, Other products and equipment for the collection, storage, processing, presentation or communication of information by electronic means, User terminals and systems, Facsimile, Telex, Telephones, Pay telephones, Cordless telephones, Cellular telephones, Answering systems, Other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by telecommunications
4. Consumer equipment
Radio sets, Television sets, Video cameras, Video recorders, Hi-fi recorders, Audio amplifiers, Musical instruments, Other products or equipment for the purpose of recording or reproducing sound or images, including signals or other technologies for the distribution of sound and image than by telecommunications
5. Lighting equipment
Luminaries for fluorescent lamps with the exception of luminaires in households, Straight fluorescent lamps, Compact fluorescent lamps, High intensity discharge lamps, including pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps, Low pressure sodium lamps, Other lighting or equipment for the purpose of spreading or controlling light with the exception of filament bulbs
6. Electrical and electronic tools (with the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools)
Drills, Saws, Sewing machines, Equipment for turning, milling, sanding, grinding, sawing, cutting, shearing, drilling, making holes, punching, folding, bending or similar processing of wood, metal and other materials, Tools for riveting, nailing or screwing or removing rivets, nails, screws or similar uses, Tools for welding, soldering or similar use, Equipment for spraying, spreading, dispersing or other treatment of liquid or gaseous substances by other means, Tools for mowing or other gardening activities
7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
Electric trains or car racing sets, Hand-held video game consoles, Video games, Computers for biking, diving, running and rowing, Sports equipment with electric or electronic components, Coin slot machines,
8. Medical devices (with the exception of all implanted and infected products)
Radiotherapy equipment, Cardiology, Dialysis, Pulmonary ventilators, Nuclear medicine, Laboratory equipment for in-vitro diagnosis, Analysers, Freezers, Fertilization tests, Other appliances for detecting, preventing, monitoring, treating, alleviating illness, injury or disability
9. Monitoring and control instruments
Smoke detector, Heating regulators, Thermostats, Measuring, weighing or adjusting appliances for household or laboratory equipment, Other monitoring and control instruments used in industrial installations (for example, in control panels)
10. Automatic dispensers
Automatic dispensers for hot drinks, Automatic dispensers for hot or cold bottles or cans, Automatic dispensers for solid products, Automatic dispensers for money, All appliances which deliver automatically all kind of products.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. To find out more on WEEE Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in computer recycling, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green IT, landfill, London Recycle, London WEEE, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK, wheelie bin | Tags: Business, computer recycling, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, electrical waste recycling, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, recycle glasgow, uk weee, Waste, weee, WEEE Glasgow | No Comments »
Waste Management| Made simple
Mention waste management to most individuals and they either don't have a clue what you might be talking about, or they actually are not interested! It just sounds a load of rubbish, what do you care what other individuals do with stuff they don't want? However, once you begin delving into what waste management is all about, then you realise there’s a whole cycle of events going on and it's quite an fascinating topic to discover about.
Waste management is essentially how rubbish and trash is disposed of without causing any harm to others or the environment. You will find several aspects to waste management; these consist of monitoring, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal or recycling. When carried out properly, waste management is efficient and very environmentally friendly, and in today’s world is something each conscientious firm really should take responsibility for.
You will find specialized environmental firms that present advice and services for waste collection, not only for householders, but also for industries and companies. They are experienced in all areas of waste management solutions and will remove all your waste efficiently and speedily, transporting it to be disposed of in the correct manner, or recycled.
Some of the waste services offered to industrial clients consist of waste collection, recycling and disposal, hazardous waste management, emergency response, laboratory services, asbestos removal and re-Insulation.
In the first instance the environment service is concerned with monitoring, this is to identify the kind of waste produced and in what quantity; they can then evaluate the processes they must put into place to reduce the amount of waste produced. Records are kept to see if approaches put into place are working and, if not, strategies could be changed and re-examined to make their implementation more efficient.
Once the waste has been monitored and assessed it's time for the collection method. Skip bins and containers have to be emptied prior to they become too full and prevention of overspill or produce to rot is really important. Depending on the amount of waste produced will dictate the size and number of containers needed, and how frequently collections is going to be necessary. You will find distinct containers for each kind of waste, some of these consist of drums for hazardous liquid waste, tanks for acid or caustic waste, collection bins for e-waste and bulk bins and skip bins for construction site waste.
Next in the cycle is organizing the transportation of all waste goods collected.Specially designed waste vehicles make scheduled collections and are responsible for safely transporting it to the landfill, or treatment site where it will be treated and then processed for Recycling. Vehicles have to meet safety standards and be licensed for this purpose, as waste could be a health hazard and even dangerous if not handled correctly, drivers and personnel connected with the transportation are needed to have the essential training and expertise to deal with any prospective danger.
Once the waste has all been collected it needs to be processed. This involves separating the waste collected, treating and then packaging the raw materials and sending the parts that can be recycled to the several factories which are all part of the recycling procedure. Materials that can’t be recycled is going to be transported to a landfill, and liquid and hazardous wastes is going to be disposed of safely.
Improvements and new practices in waste management and environmental solutions are in the news all the time, thanks to study and development projects which are committed to discovering more efficient and safe techniques of disposing of waste. There are many issues which are recyclable now that just a couple of years ago would have been thrown into a rising landfill, everyday items including paper, glass, newspapers and plastic bags to printer cartridges, corks, mobile phones, even fluorescent lamps could be treated and re-used.
Society has experienced a huge learning curve in the fact that if we don't take action now to make certain our waste is processed correctly; nature will gladly do it for us, and in techniques which could be detrimental to our environment.
Posted in computer recycling, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Energy, Food Recycling, Food Waste, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, landfill, London Recycle, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Plastic waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, recycling, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, Waste Plastic, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK, wheelie bin | Tags: Basics, computer recycling, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Efficiency, electrical waste recycling, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, environmental management, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, ISO14001, London recycling, Management, Recycling, Reduce, Reducing, uk recycling, uk weee, Waste, waste management, waste recycling, weee | No Comments »
New Plastic Recycling Discovery!
A new method has been devised to recycle plastic which would normally end up in landfill.
Currently approximately 12% of plastic found in household plastic and packaging is currently processed.
Now, however, a process has been developbed by Warwick University which could mean 100% of this type is waste can be recycled.
Municipal plastic solid waste is often too time-consuming and labour intensive to separate and clean and ends up going straight to landfill rather than being recycled.
Engineers at the University have invented a process that can cope with every piece of plastic waste and can even break some polymers, such as polystyrene, back down to its original monomers.
The researchers have devised a unit which uses pyrolysis (using heat in the absence of oxygen to decompose of materials) in a ‘fluidised bed’ reactor.
Tests have shown that the researchers have been able to literally shovel in to such a reactor a wide range of mixed plastics, which can then be reduced down to useful products. Many of these products can then be retrieved by simple distillation.
The products the Warwick team have been able to reclaim from the plastic mix include: wax that can be then used a lubricant; original monomers such as styrene that can be used to make new polystyrene; terephthalic acid which can be reused in PET plastic products, methylmetacrylate that can be used to make acrylic sheets, carbon which can be used as Carbon Black in paint pigments and tyres, and even the char left at the end of some of the reactions can be sold to use as activated carbon at a value of at least £400 a tonne.
This research could have a significant impact on the budgets of local authorities and produce considerable environmental benefits.
The lead researcher on the project, University of Warwick Engineering Professor Jan Baeyens, said:
“We envisage a typical large scale plant having an average capacity of 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year.
“In a year tankers would take away from each plant over £5 million worth of recycled chemicals and each plant would save £500,000 a year in land fill taxes alone.
“As the expected energy costs for each large plant would only be in the region of £50,000 a year the system will be commercially very attractive and give a rapid payback on capital and running costs.”
The work will be of great interest to local authorities and waste disposal companies who could use the technology to create large scale reactor units at municipal tips which would produce tanker loads of reusable material.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in carbon emissions, carbon reduction, Climate Change, CO2, computer recycling, CRC, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Energy, Food Recycling, Food Waste, Footprint, ghg emissions, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, London Recycle, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Plastic waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, recycling, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, Waste Plastic, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK, wheelie bin | Tags: Benefits, Business, Change, Climate, computer recycling, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, electrical waste recycling, Emissions, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, household plastic, London Plastics, London Recycle, plastic recycling, Plastics, Recycling, Reduce, Renewable, Uk Plastic recycling, UK Plastics, warming, Waste, waste plastic | No Comments »
5 Steps to Effective Waste Management
5 Steps to Effective Waste Management
What is efficient waste management?
There is more to waste management than collecting rubbish and dumping it at landfill. Although this is a vital step in the process, there is a lot more to it!
Effective Waste Management is a system : Monitoring, Collection, Transportation, Processing, Disposal / Recycle. Through these steps a company can effectively and responsibly manage waste output and their positive effect they have on the environment. Not to mention the potential to save/make money from waste sources.
Monitoring is identifying the waste management needs, identifying recycling opportunities and ways to minimize waste output, and reviewing how waste minimization is progressing. Through keeping records of the different waste streams, a customer can see the results of their efforts in becoming more environmentally friendly, and a more efficient business.
Collection involves the logistical organization to guarantee that bin containers will not overfill and waste sit time does not become too long. The correct bin container size and service frequency is a must to prevent overspill or excessive smell. The correct bins for different wastes must be available with sticker and bin colour identification. Locks, chains, lids and bars prevent public access and non-trained personnel putting rubbish in the incorrect bins.
Cooperation between the waste company and customer is vital. Bins must be accessible to the truck driver at the agreed times. Access to work premises outside work hours will cause an issue if unaddressed. Bin wheels can allow customers to move bins from convenient areas to serviceable locations.
Transportation is the organizing of waste transport vehicles with the authorization and ability to transport the specified wastes from a customer’s work residence to landfill or processing plant. A waste must be transported by the vehicle designed for it. For example, general waste requires a vehicle with thicker compacter walls, to that of a cardboard and paper waste transporting vehicle. Therefore, a customer may require a series of vehicles to meet their waste management needs.
Vehicles, drivers, and companies need licenses and approval to transport waste. EPA standards need to be upheld as well as General Public Safety. Safety standards are vital to the transportation of clinical and hazardous wastes. Drivers must undergo training for emergency circumstances that may arise.
Processing involves the separation of recyclables for treatment, and then after treatment are packaged as raw materials. These raw materials are sent to factories for production. Non-recyclable wastes by-pass this step and are delivered straight to landfill or processing plants. Liquid and hazardous wastes are delivered to treatment plants to become less hazardous to the public and environment.
Disposal / Recycling is the disposal of non recyclables into landfill. Landfill sites must be approved by legal authorities. Legal authorities guarantee that specific wastes are buried at the correct depth to avoid hazardous chemicals entering the soil, water tables, water systems, air, and pipe systems.
In this step the raw materials made from recyclables are produced and sold as products on the market. Companies can purchase such products to further sustain the environment and natural resources.
In conclusion, waste management is a science that addresses the logistics, environmental impact, social responsibility, and cost of an organization’s waste disposal. It is a detailed process that involves human resources, vehicles, government bodies, and natural resources.
Learn more about waste management by contacting Be Seen Go Green.
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WEEE Compliance, there is no option
The purpose of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is to minimize the environmental impact of electronic waste. The WEEE directive protects landfills and regulates the disposal of end-of-life electrical or electronic equipment (EEE) also known as e-waste. The related RoHS Directive strives to limit the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of electronic equipment.
The WEEE Directive provides a guide for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The “polluter pays” principle means collection and recovery is largely at the manufacturer’s expense. Specified products include such things as large and small household appliances, IT and telecommunications equipment, consumer equipment, IT and telecommunications equipment.
Reduction of hazardous material content in products at the manufacturing stage will reduce the content of such pollutants in electronic waste. This will enhance the economic feasibility of recycling. Hence RoHS compliance, which in any case is needed for doing business in the EU, is the first important element for any effective recycling. Increased efforts to design products that facilitate recycling of WEEE components and materials are extremely beneficial.
Recycling is one of several waste disposal options. Its effectiveness depends, to a large extent on the type of material to be recycled and the availability of appropriate technology. E-waste such as a computer can be discarded by the original users, but it may still be perfectly functional equipment. In this case material recovery and reuse is a better alternative than recycling. In fact the reuse of waste electrical and electronic equipment is the preferred economic option.
Recycling is technology and material specific. It is mandatory to collect electronic waste separately from municipal waste. While primary administrative responsibility lies with the state, manufacturers have an important role in educating customers on proper waste disposal. The WEEE directive mandates collection of electronic waste at the manufacturer’s cost. Manufacturers must not only ensure that convenient collection points are set up for consumers but must also make provisions for the transportation of the waste materials to the recycling plant.
The WEEE directive mandates that recycling sites should conform to certain minimum standards to prevent adverse environmental impact when treating waste EEE. In most cases, it will not be feasible for a single manufacturer to operate its own recycling center.
Throughout the WEEE recovery chain, producers are required to finance the cost of e-waste collection from consumers; transportation to the recycling center; treatment; recovery and disposal. Producers will generally need to collaborate with other manufacturers to collectively bear the cost for the recycling and waste disposal obligations.
The WEEE and the RoHS are here to stay and further strengthening of environmental regulations is inevitable. One such step is the impending Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), regulations which beacme effective from June 1, 2007 within the European Union. The REACH regulation will control the use of a very wide range of chemicals and is not limited only to the electronics sector.
With these legislations it is important to adopt a proactive approach, ensuring compliance by producers, distributors and end users alike, of the WEEE electronic recycling directive.
This will surely provide the producers and distributors with increased competitiveness, within a competitive market, differentiating themselves from those who continue to break the law.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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WEEE-waste Continues to Grow
Scotland WEEE-waste Continues to Grow
Technology advances have proved to be beneficial for the entire world but it has also given us a challenge in the form of weee-waste. With the increasing use of electronic devices and electrical equipment, the collection of weee-waste is also mounting.
WEEE-waste or electronic waste is a term used for those electronic equipment that has reached its end of life in the hand of its current user. These devices when disassembled or destroyed are either taken for reuse or slated for hazardous disposal. Some of the electronic waste can be recycled, while those which cannot be reused is categorised as “waste”.
E-Waste Market Size
The global market of electronic waste is estimated to be £2 billion, and it is predicted to increase at average annual growth rate of 8.8%.
Due to the rising demand of high value engineered plastics, the recycled plastics sector will register the maximum revenue growth. It will grow at 10.2%
The recycled metals market will continue to be dominated by the growth in metals mined from end of life electronic waste, growing at an of 8.1%.
Percentages are approximate.
Recycled glass is low valued hence the recycled glass market continues to be stagnant.
Reasons for Increasing WEEE-Waste
Due to the increasing areas of information society and the dependency of businesses on computer and Internet, the weee-waste has been mounting. Wee e-waste is the fastest growing segment of the waste stream. WEEE-waste has been mounting rapidly with the rise of the information society. In developed countries, e-waste constitutes approx 2% of solid waste but it is expected to grow. The developing countries including, China will be the fastest growing segment of the weee-waste market. The electronic waste in developing countries has the potential to triple the amount of current rates of weee waste.
The rising mount of electronic waste isn’t going to be cut any time soon without businesses and consumers facing up to their responsibilities.
Electronic equipment sales, along with that the rate of obsolescence of electronic equipment is increasing. The life-cycle of the electrical and electronic equipment are shortening. The life period of a television set is reduced to 10 years while that of a computer remains only 2-3 years. All the above mentioned facts are equally responsible for the rising e-waste. In spite of such horrendous situation manufacturers and governments have not kept pace with electronic waste policy and practice. Eventually a high percentage of electronics are ending up in the waste stream releasing harmful toxins into the environment.
At BE Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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WEEE: Questions to ask yourself if you sell EEE
I sell directly to household users. Am I a distributor?
- Yes.
I sell EEE only to Organisations users. Am I a distributor?
- Yes, but some distributor obligations do not apply in relation to sales of non-household EEE.
However your customers may ask you for information about the registered producer of
the EEE, and that producer may ask you for information about non-household
customers and sales so that they can report their sales correctly. Please note sole traders and partnerships are classed as consumers.
I only sell second-hand equipment. Am I a distributor?
- Distributor obligations only apply in relation to the provision of EEE that has not been
previously placed on the UK market. However you will still require {permits, licences] to operate
I sell only ex-demonstration, mail-order returns, open-box or surplus EEE. Am I distributor?
- Yes, ex-demonstration, “open box” EEE and mail-order returns are regarded as new
EEE and therefore normal distributor obligations apply.
I provide EEE incidentally to my main business (credit card rewards, loyalty bonus, and advertising). Am I a distributor?
- Yes. If you provide EEE to household users on a commercial basis, then you are a
distributor.
If I allow take-back, do I have to allow consumers to bring back any Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment?
- Consumers may bring back items of equipment which they are replacing with an
equivalent new product on a like-for-like basis. If you offer take-back you must do this
for all types of EEE you sell. So, for example, a consumer buying a new microwave
oven would be entitled to take-back of one old microwave oven as WEEE. You would
not be expected to take back a completely different type of equipment, for example a
washing machine for a DVD player.
What is “equivalent” Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment?
- Distributors are expected to adopt a reasonable interpretation of equivalence. For
example, a customer should be allowed to bring back an old video cassette recorder
when purchasing a new DVD player/recorder, as even though this is not strictly a like-for-
like replacement, the new product is intended to fulfil the same function.
How long after a purchase should I give consumers to bring back their Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment?
- The WEEE Regulations do not lay down a minimum period for which take-back should
be offered. However, given that it is unlikely that customers will carry WEEE with them
while shopping, distributors are should accept WEEE within a reasonable period following a sale (e.g. 28 days). You may wish to endorse the sales receipt to govern
deferred in-store take-back of WEEE
Are faulty items returned to me classed as Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment?
- No. Items intended for repair and return to use are not regarded as waste. However,
once it becomes clear that items are beyond repair and hence are to be discarded they
should be regarded as WEEE. From this point they should be dealt with in accordance
with the WEEE Regulations.
Can I charge customers if I offer collection-on-delivery services?
- It remains at the discretion of retailers whether to charge or not for any collection on
delivery services that they provide to consumers, but any such services would not fulfil
your take-back obligations.
How do I do take-back if I am a mail order distributor?
- Distance sellers must either join the DTS, offer in-store take-back through one of their
local stores (where these exist) or provide the customer with an alternative local route
for free take-back. The distributor must tell customers how they can dispose of WEEE,
for example via their catalogue, website, sales receipts, or through a leaflet included
with the purchase.
The producer demands a large product display to show his recycling costs. What should I do?
- The WEEE Regulations give producers the right to display any costs associated with
recycling historical WEEE. A distributor of EEE may not obscure or remove a sticker on
the product, but would not be obliged to erect an in-store display with the costs.
Producers and distributors may negotiate between themselves the appropriate means
of display.
At Be Seen Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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Packaging Waste
Moves to cut packaging waste received a boost as group of leading firms pledged to curb waste levels across their supply chain. Environment minister Lord Henley called on more High Street names to follow suit.
The government-backed Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) announced that seven additional firms have signed up to its Courtauld Commitment 2 scheme since it was launched in March, taking to 36 the total number of businesses to have agreed to meet voluntary waste reduction targets under the initiative. (Scotland has compulsary targets)
New members include Marks & Spencer, Heineken UK, Burton Foods, and Dale Farm, the first Northern Irish firm to join the scheme.
Under the second round of the Courtauld Commitment scheme, firms signing up to the initiative pledge to reduce the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10 per cent, cut household food and drink wastes by four per cent, and reduce supply chain product and packaging waste by five per cent by 2012.
The group held its inaugural meeting yesterday to identify the measures and best practices that will be required to try and meet the new targets.
The Courtauld Commitment was set up under the previous government, but has already secured the backing of the coalition with recently appointed environment minister Lord Henley telling the meeting that he wanted to see more retailers join the scheme.
“This government is right behind you – the Prime Minister has pledged this will be the greenest government ever, and waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing this country,” he said. “We must all work together, exploring ideas, sharing innovations and successes.”
At Go Green, we offer solutions for a to help you achieve these reduction targets. Please click on the following link to contact us.
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WEEE Recycling: Legal Requirements
What many organisations do not appretiate is that as well as other laws such as packaging regulations, in 2004 the EC passed a directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. In the UK this is known as WEEE, WEEE compliance or WEEE regulations. Now organisations need to be aware of what it entails to remain legal.
When considering recycling people automatically think of paper, cardboard, glass and plastic. We rarely give a second thought to what will be happening to our white goods and general electrical appliances once we‘ve decided they need to go down the tip.
The fact is Electrical equipment is the fastest growing category of rubbish across the European Union. This seems to make sense when you consider how much we rely on electronic and electrical goods to enjoy life and to function in our workplace in modern society. But it’s perhaps a little frightening, that according to statistics around 20kg per person of electrical waste is created every year. Annually, the UK now produces around 2 million tonnes of waste electrical equipment
The WEEE Recycling Directive
The WEEE recycling directive covers three main areas:
Under WEEE compliance, manufacturers and producers of electrical equipment will be expected to take into consideration environmentally friendly requirements at design stage. At the fundamental stage of production both manufacturers and importers will be responsible for ensuring they plan for their products to be recycled rather than dumped in landfill. Where possible this will also include further production of existing products.
WEEE recycling regulations will require electrical equipment producers to finance treatment and recycling/recovery of separately collected WEEE in the UK, to specified treatment standards and recycling/recovery targets.
The WEEE directive will mean that all shops and retailers are be required by law to provide take-back services to householders. Gone are the days when you had to ask your self – will they take my old cooker away?
What products are covered in the WEEE compliance regulations?
Products and commodities covered in the regulations are:
audiovisual and lighting equipment;
IT and telecommunications equipment;
medical devices;
electrical and electronic tools;
toys, leisure and sports equipment.
automatic dispensers;
household appliances
For further information about WEEE or joining complydirect compliance scheme visit: http://www.beseengogreen.eu
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