Contained within the written of the WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) legislation is an exhaustive list of everyday equipment, all of which is now classified as hazardous waste. With insufficient copy space to include the entire list, contained in the list below is an indication of the scope of the legislation, and what now has to be disposed of by a licenced operator.

• Televisions, digital TV decoders, video and DVD players, overhead projectors
• Computers, laptops, printers, mobile phones, MP3 players, camcorders
• Fan heaters, air conditioning units, batteries and power capacitors

The licenced operator has to hold relevant licences which have been issued by the Environment Agency; in addition, any equipment which has data storage capacity is controlled by the Data Protection Act has to be disposed of by a carrier or recycler holding licences issued by the Data Commissioner’s Office.

As well as ninety nine percent of all items of electrical and electronic equipment having combinations of arsenic, bromine, cadmium, lead and mercury as elements of component part manufacture, many items also store data too. Double jeopardy, especially for owners of said equipment when it comes to the issue of safe, ethical, secure and practical disposal of the aforementioned equipment.

The legislation was enacted as a response to the mountain of redundant electrical and electronic equipment, a mountain which is growing exponentially year on year. By 2015 it is estimated the European Union alone will generate some 15 million tonnes and that figure is expected to carry on increasing year on year, at least for the foreseeable future.

By placing the emphasis and responsibility of controlled disposal on the shoulders of business owners and/or asset managers, the tide is beginning to turn. With increasing tonnage year on year now being recycled thereby decreasing the tonnage which is otherwise disposed of, everyone is being made to do their bit in helping protect the environment form potential damage.

To ensure that your business fully complies with all elements of the WEEE legislation, contact the team at Dynamic Asset Recovery today; secure, safe and ethical disposal is guaranteed and collection can be arranged from any location in the UK.

The items which are contained in the following list, although not claiming to be an exhaustive list are now classified as hazardous waste, therefore licenced handling, carriage and disposal is required as laid down in the WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) legislation.

• Televisions, digital TV decoders, video and DVD players
• Computers, laptops, printers, mobile phones,
• Blackberries and other handheld devices
• Mobile phones

The legislation was introduced in 2007 as a method of tackling the year on year exponential increase in the numbers of electrical and electronic equipment which was being disposed of, and although there was a voluntary code for ethical and safe disposal, it was not enforceable by law. The legislation places a duty of care on all owners and custodians of business entities and commercial enterprises to manage and monitor the entire lifecycle of any equipment which is operated by AC and/or DC power.

Business owners and asset managers are required to keep records of acquisition, deployment, use and disposal of said equipment; disposal has to be by way of an orgainsation and/or company licenced by the Environment Agency. In addition, any carrier, operator and/or recycler disposing of equipment with an element of data storage has also to hold relevant licences issued by the Data Commissioner’s Office in order to comply with the Data Protection Act.

The reason for the legislation was to make practical provision for the disposal of toxic substances and heavy elements including but not limited to arsenic, bromine, cadmium, lead and mercury all of which are used in the manufacture of electrical component parts. The casings of monitors, computers, PC tablets and laptops in addition to the glass screens and metal frames where applicable are all recyclable.

Indeed, some ninety to ninety five percent of every piece of electrical and electronic equipment is recyclable; therefore, the pressure on the environment and the potential for catastrophic pollution is being reduced exponentially year on year.

Undertaking safe and ethical disposal by way of a licenced operator for safe, secure and ethical disposal of any redundant and/or surplus electronic and electrical equipment, contact Data Asset Recovery as the essential link in your WEEE disposal chain.

Introduced into UK legislation in 2007 the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE), the regulations have been successful in tidying up the ambiguity surrounding the issue of hazardous and toxic materials which are elements of the component parts of electronic equipment. The items contained in the following list are now all classed as hazardous waste, and as such are required to be disposed of by licenced operators and recyclers.

• Televisions, digital TV decoders, video and DVD players, overhead projectors
• Computers, laptops, printers, mobile phones, MP3 players, camcorders
• Batteries, (vehicle and hand held device)
• Fan heaters and air conditioning units
• Microwave ovens, kettles, food processors etc

It is by no means an exhaustive list and is merely in place as an example of items which are used in the workplace, and which business owners and asset managers are required to maintain records of in asset registers. These typical items of equipment along with many other examples all contain elements such as cadmium, mercury, arsenic, bromine and lead; dumped in landfill prior to the introduction of the legislation, the potential of leaching back into the environment was a real and present danger.

Any equipment which is disposed of either as redundant, damaged or beyond repair has to be by way of a licenced operator, a company or organisation which holds licences issued by the Environment Agency. In addition, if any equipment has data storage capacity the disposal agency or operator has to hold a licence granted by the Data Commissioners office. The operators in question have to prove, prior to obtaining their licences that the staff is suitably trained in hazardous waste collection, transport and disposal methods.

The regulations are helping in no small way to defuse the ticking time bomb of the increasing tonnage of waste electronic equipment which is rising exponentially year on year. To ensure your business fully complies with all elements of the WEEE legislation in the disposal of redundant electronic and/or electrical equipment, consult Dynamic Asset Recovery today; secure, safe and ethical disposal is guaranteed and collection can be arranged from any location in the UK.

The introduction of WEEE, that is to say the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment legislation which came into effect in 2007 brought about a sea change in the way in which electronic and electrical equipment was classified, as well as its management and subsequent disposal by industry. Within the framework of the legislation electrical and electronic equipment is now classified as hazardous waste; anything which appears in the following list now has to be safely, securely and ethically disposed of by operators and recyclers, all of whom have relevant licenses issued by the Environment Agency.

• Mobile phones and other hand held comms devices
• Computers, laptops and tablets
• Monitors and other viewing devices
• Photocopiers, fax machines and printers

Although the list isn’t exhaustive, the robust guidelines which cover the collection, transport and subsequent disposal are fully prescribed; any company which doesn’t comply with the legislation is open to potential criminal prosecution and huge fines being levied.

Ninety nine percent of all electrical and electronic equipment manufactured contains varying amounts and combinations of lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and bromine to mention just a few examples; the potential for damage to the environment over time was plain for all to see, hence the introduction of WEEE to prevent the continuing dumping of said equipment into landfill sites.

Moreover, any equipment which has the potential for storage and dissemination of data such as disk drives, flash and/or RAM memory modules and other such devices, has to be disposed of by an operator duly licenced by the Data Commissioner’s Office. The entire life cycle of every piece of equipment used in the workplace has to be recorded, along with the details of the disposal agency, transporting agent and/or recycler.

If you only have small numbers of equipment coming redundant at intermittent intervals, it is not possible to efficiently introduce your own in house team of specialists. The legislation is wide ranging and if not complied with fully can lead to fines and a potential criminal record. To ensure all your electrical and electronic equipment is disposed of safely, securely and ethically contact Dynamic Asset Recovery today and keep yourself and the business legal.

Enacted in 2007 the WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) legislation is a legal framework which formaises the disposal of electronic and electrical equipment, and is especially loaded against business and industry. Consumers buying their new mobile phones, laptops, computers, TVs and other personal electronic and electrical items can opt for the recycling process which the retailer has to provide by law, as an element of the WEEE regulations by way of ridding themselves of their old, redundant or no longer fashionable equipment.

Unfortunately for business owners and delegated responsible persons within the business, the buck stops with you. Businesses are the link in the chain where the responsibility rests with the safe, secure and ethical disposal of said equipment, all of which is now classed as hazardous waste and has to be disposed of by licenced operators.

The introduction of WEEE legislation is as a legal framework for combating the increasing numbers of electronic equipment which came up for disposal, and which was prior to 2007 able to be dumped in ordinary landfill sites. It has been estimated that by 2015 the European Union alone will be responsible for generating some fifteen million tonnes of electronic equipment waste, with the figure projected to rise year on year exponentially after this date and certainly for the foreseeable future.

Every item of electronic and electrical equipment in use has varying amounts and combinations of lead, arsenic, bromine, mercury other nasties which are essential for the premium operation and efficiency of modern electronic equipment. Over ninety percent of the entire component pieces are recyclable, which includes the plastic casings, glass screens and electrical motors and cooling fans.

Disposal of electronic equipment is a minefield for the unwary and unprepared; if you fall foul of the legal aspect of the lifecycle management of the potential hazardous waste in your care, you may be liable to fines and potential criminal prosecution. To keep the entire issue legal, and to ensure the safe, secure and ethical disposal of ANY electronic equipment in your care, contact Data Asset Recovery today for complete peace of mind.