Recycle London
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 erased before disposal.
The risks of disposal of disks containing data that you may believe has been erased 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 inaccessible 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 can 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.
Posted in computer recycling, Data protection, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, 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 | 
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 | 
5 Comments »
Waste Management| Made simple
Mention waste management to most men and women and they either don't have a clue what you are talking about, or they really are not interested! It just sounds a load of rubbish, what do you care what other men and women do with stuff they don't want? Nonetheless, 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 is quite an fascinating topic to discover about.
Waste management is basically how rubbish and trash is disposed of with out causing any harm to others or the environment. You can find several aspects to waste management; these consist of monitoring, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal or recycling. When carried out correctly, waste management is efficient and incredibly environmentally friendly, and in today’s world is some thing every single conscientious organization really should take responsibility for.
You can find specialized environmental businesses that supply advice and services for waste collection, not only for householders, but also for industries and businesses. They are experienced in all areas of waste management solutions and will remove all of your waste efficiently and quickly, transporting it to be disposed of inside 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 would be to identify the type of waste produced and in what quantity; they can then evaluate the processes they must put into place to decrease the quantity of waste produced. Records are kept to see if methods put into place are working and, if not, methods may be changed and re-examined to make their implementation a lot more efficient.
Once the waste has been monitored and assessed it really is time for the collection method. Skip bins and containers have to be emptied just before they become too full and prevention of overspill or produce to rot is extremely essential. Depending on the quantity of waste produced will dictate the size and number of containers required, and how often collections will probably be necessary. You can find various containers for each type 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 inside the cycle is organizing the transportation of all waste items collected.Specially created 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 may be a health hazard and even dangerous if not handled correctly, drivers and personnel connected with the transportation are required to have the necessary training and experience to deal with any possible 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 could be recycled to the several factories which are all component of the recycling procedure. Materials that can’t be recycled will probably be transported to a landfill, and liquid and hazardous wastes will probably be disposed of safely.
Improvements and new practices in waste management and environmental solutions are inside the news all of the time, thanks to study and development projects which are committed to finding a lot more efficient and secure methods of disposing of waste. There are many things which are recyclable now that just some years ago would have been thrown into a rising landfill, everyday items such as paper, glass, newspapers and plastic bags to printer cartridges, corks, mobile phones, even fluorescent lamps may be treated and re-used.
Society has experienced a massive learning curve inside the reality 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 methods which may 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 »
Increased fine for Company Charged with breaching waste regulations
A FIRM who broke waste dumping laws had their fine increased more than 11 times to £90,000 recently.
The Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh upheld a challenge brought by the Crown over the level of the sentence imposed on Doonin Plant.
They were originally fined just £8000 for breaking environmental laws as they dumped waste at Bardykes bing between Blantyre and Cambuslang, Lanarkshire.
Lord Clarke said the conduct of the company had involved “a blatant and complacent disregard” of its responsibilities.
The judges said they were satisfied that the original fine was unduly lenient.
(source Daily Record)
Could this be just the start of increased fines for companies flouting the environmental regulations?
Posted in computer recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Energy, Environmental accounting, Food Recycling, Food Waste, 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, Skip Hire, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste, Waste management, Waste Plastic, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK, wheelie bin | Tags: Business, computer recycling, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, Emissions, Energy, fines, Footprint, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, Waste, waste management, waste permits | No Comments »
New Plastic Recycling Discovery!
A new technique 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 »
Glasgow Weee Recycling | For a Brighter Future
Have you ever thought about electrical equipment waste?
As per the facts available, we create around 20 kg per person of electrical waste each and every year, and this figure is growing.
The UK alone produces an unbelievable total of 1 million tonnes of electrical waste, and this makes the overall picture all the more frightening!
People are demanding for more and more of these new electronic products with ground breaking technologies, while discarding throwing out the old ones. This situation seems to grow more and more complex with each passing month.
To make the world a better place to live in, the European Economic Union came out with a directive called WEEE Recycling (WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) in a bid to deal with unnecessary electronic waste. As per the directive, all manufacturers, retailers , importers and distributors are required to recycle old technology. New responsibilities have been introduced for businesses, schools, hospitals, and government agencies and all these organizations are needed to ensure that all separately collected WEEE is treated and recycled. Be Seen Go Green Can help and advise you on your obligations under the WEEE directive
At present, there are n numbers of waste management companies around which offer a range of commercial waste management and WEEE recycling services. Not all however have the correct permits or can provide you with the necessary WTC (waste transfer certificate) Which is required to release you from your duty of care in relation to your obligation to ensure that your WEEE is properly disposed of. A few moments of online search will help you come across numerous such companies which offer your waste management services at highly competitive prices. And with so many companies around, it is not that tough to find a good service provider. It is really easy. The Internet can be extremely helpful here. Please bear in mind that when you dispose of WEEE that the company you choose to carry out this service is indeed able to provide WTC to you, if you are unsure and need help in finding such companies contact BE SEEEN GO GREEN
There is no denying the fact that Weee Recycling is playing a vital role in dealing with harmful e-waste or electronic waste. However, a lot of thought and research should go in, before you point your finger on a particular electronic waste recycling service provider.
At Go Green, we offer solutions for a variety of Environmental issues. Please click on the following link to contact us.
Posted in computer recycling, CSR, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Environmental accounting, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green IT, Iso14001, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Plastic waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, Social Responsibility, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK | Tags: Better, computer recycling, Edinburgh, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, electrical waste recycling, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, Glasgow, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, London, London WEEE, recycle, Recycling, Tomorrow, UK, uk weee, weee | No Comments »
WEEE Compliance, there is no option
The objective 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.
Posted in carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, computer recycling, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Food Recycling, Food Waste, Footprint, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green IT, Iso14001, landfill, London Recycle, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Plastic waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, recycling, Skip Hire, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, Waste Plastic, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK | Tags: Business, Complying, computer recycling, Country, Directive, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, electrical waste recycling, Electronic, Emissions, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, Recycling, Reducing, Waste, weee, weee edinburgh, WEEE Glasgow, WEEE London, WEEE Recycle | No Comments »
WEEE: Questions to ask yourself if you sell EEE
I sell directly to household users. Am I a distributor?
- Yes.
I sell Electrical & Electronic Equipment only to Offices 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 Electrical & Electronic Equipment 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.
Posted in computer recycling, Data protection, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, 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 | Tags: Business, computer recycling, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, Electrical retailers, electrical waste recycling, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, London WEEE, Power, Recycling, Reduce, Reducing, Retailers, uk weee, waste management, weee | 1 Comment »
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 businesses need to be aware of what it entails to remain legal.
When considering recycling people automatically think of paper, cardboard, glass and plastic. We never 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 eco-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
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, computer recycling, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green IT, 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 | Tags: Edinburgh WEEE, Electrical, Electronic, electronic waste, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, goods, Legal, London WEEE, Recycling, Requirements, uk weee, waste computer, waste electronic, waste IT, waste lectrical, waste recycling, weee, WEEE Directive, weee recycling | 1 Comment »
Computer Retailers & Manufacturers Need To Be More Responsible
Computer Aid International has called for companies involved with IT to be more responsible for the environmental cost of their products.
The organisation has produced a report: Green ICT: what producers must do, which blames original equipment manufacturers for poor practice and pollution in production.
A manufacturer, in terms of The WEEE Directive, is any organisation who assebles computers, ranging from your Joe Bloggs PC retailer in the high street to the Multinationals such as Dell, they are both treated equally!
They say that retailers need to take responsibility for the entire life-cycle of their products.
The report argues that most environmental damage of computing happens during manufacturing; for instance, 80% of the energy used over a PC’s lifecycle is used before it is switched on for the first time.
The report cites mining materials and the excessive use of toxic chemicals in production as the source of the enormous carbon footprint made by manufacturing and its global sourcing and distribution chains.
Computer Aid International CEO Tony Roberts said: “In Europe all ICT manufactures including HP, Samsung, Nokia, Apple, and small independants have a legal duty to fund the end of life recycling of equipment that they produced.
“Within Europe manufacturers fulfil this requirement of corporate social responsibility and are justifiably proud of their green credentials.
“However we would argue that they have exactly the same moral obligations where their products are sold in Africa, Asia and elsewhere.
“Most developing countries are entirely without the kind of facilities necessary to re-use and recycle ICTs and to recover the precious metals and other composite materials before they pollute the environment and threaten public health and safety.”
The report calls for producers to be responsible for the end-of-life management of their goods in all countries they operate in, not just in rich developed countries, so that all nations can build the operational capacity to re-use IT equipment and to recycle e-waste.
It says producers need to shift the cost of toxic, wasteful design away from communities and the environment back to themselves.
They call for producers to be forced to include the real costs of their goods through wide-ranging programmes that encourage eco-design
To find out how the WEEE directive affects you, whether you’re an end user, retailer or manufacturer, contact Be Seen Go Geen for advice and help
Posted in Carbon accounting, carbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Carbon management, carbon reduction, Climate Change, CO2, computer recycling, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Energy, Environmental accounting, Footprint, ghg emissions, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, Glasgow waste, glasgow weee, Green IT, London Recycle, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, recycling, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste management, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK | Tags: Benefits, Business, Change, computer recycling, Corporate, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, electrical waste recycling, Emissions, Energy, Enterprise, Environment, ENVIRONMENTAL, Footprint, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, Green, Power, Recycling, Reduce, Renewable, Waste, weee | No Comments »
The WEEE Directive, what is it?
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment 2006 directive concerns the responsible disposal of electrical and Electronic devices, such as computer equipment by companies and individuals, and is now enshrined in European Law. Defra sums it up thus: “This directive aims to reduce the amount of WEEE being produced and encourages everyone to reuse, recycle and recover it.” The purpose of the directive is to protect the “soil, water and air against pollution through better disposal of waste and electrical and electronic equipment. It also stimulates the reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery of such wastes so as to reduce the disposal of waste.”
What does it mean to us? and, how does it control the disposal of our used electrical equipment such as computers and household electrical items? The directive is designed to make us think about the impact on the environment that the disposal of electrical and computer equipment has. We can no longer just dump equipment without giving it a second thought. Prior to the introduction of this legislation up to 1.5million PCs were disposed of in landfill sites throughout the UK and who knows how long it will take for them to decompose? Now, they must either be recycled bit by bit making safe any hazardous or toxic components, or they must be reconditioned making them useful again, if not for use within Europe then in third world countries.
Before sending your electronic equipment to far-flung corners of the world the hard disks must be wiped clean, as unfortunately many PCs are discarded still loaded with information that the previous owners certainly wouldn’t want anyone else to access! There are many companies who will ensure that this happens on your behalf as part of the reconditioning process. As owners we often get rid of PC equipment when there is absolutely nothing functionally wrong with it. It will still work, but just not as fast as the latest models that we have replaced it with, so it’s ideal for that sort of kit to go to the computer recyclers. If you are concerned that by exporting the reconditioned computers to the third world, we are merely shifting the waste burden there, then don’t be. .
However, some other equipment may not be as easily reconditioned as it really is obsolete so it has to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. There are now a number of professional computer disposal equipment companies, who will collect your old equipment and ensure that it is destroyed in accordance with the WEEE directive by breaking it down and make all the components safe. If you use a company such as this they will provide you with a detailed summary of what they have done with your old equipment, ensuring that you are aware of what has happened to it and putting your mind at rest that you have done your bit for the environment and according to the latest legislation, not only this they will provide, in fact they must do, a waste transfer certificate, relieving you of your duty of care of your old electricals and electronics.
In 2010 the UK bought 9.5 million new television sets, this is just one small example of how much we buy anually. New legislation is being proposed that will see a need to increase ethical disposal of, for example, those 9.5 million sets upto 85%, in theory then, in 2010 we in the UK should have recycled, re-used or disposed of just under 8.1 million television sets.
Posted in computer recycling, Data protection, Edinburgh Recycle, Edinburgh WEEE, eee, Footprint, glasgow eee, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, Green IT, landfill, London Recycle, London WEEE, Packaging Waste, Plastic Recycle, Plastic Recycling, Recycle Edinburgh, Recycle London, Recycle UK, UK Recycle, UK WEEE, Waste, Waste management, Waste Plastic, weee, WEEE Edinburgh, WEEE London, WEEE UK | Tags: Business, computer recycling, Directive, edinburgh recycle, Edinburgh Recycling, Edinburgh WEEE, glasgow eee, glasgow recycle, glasgow recycling, glasgow weee, Recycling, uk weee, Waste, weee | No Comments »