Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive

The WEEE Directive sets out measures for collecting waste electrical and electronic equipment for recovery, recycling, and re-use. The UK currently produces about 900,000 tonnes of electrical and electronic waste each year. This includes a wide range of items from TVs and fridges, to computers and children's toys.

The UK Government is working towards the transposition of the European WEEE Directive by the end of September 2005 with producers beginning their responsibility in June 2006.

Both Producers and Retailers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment will be affected by this new legislation to varying degrees.

Producers will have to supply data regarding product weights to 'clearing houses' and in return receive a market shared based allocation of WEEE to recycle.

Retailers of electrical items will have to offer take back on old products or join the Retail Scheme.

Another Directive connected with WEEE is also in the pipeline:

·       Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electrical equipment (RoHS) is a Directive covering the content of hazardous material in electronic items. It will require certain substances, such as lead and cadmium, to be phased out of equipment by 2008. It was originally intended to form part of the WEEE Directive, but has now been made into a separate Directive. This will come into force in July 2006.