New legislation on electronic equipment and hazardous substances
Over 6 million electrical items are thrown away every year in the UK.
Source: Directgov |
If you are an importer, rebrander or manufacturer of new electrical or electronic equipment then it’s likely that you will need to comply with the UK’s WEEE Regulations. You may also have obligations under the WEEE Regulations if you are a business with electrical/electronic equipment to dispose of, or if you sell electrical or electronic equipment. Another Directive, RoHS bans the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of certain substances. So it’s important for those companies affected to have the new legislation information at their fingertips.
What is WEEE?
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations aim to reduce the amount of electronic and electrical equipment that is sent to landfill by placing responsibilities on producers and distributors.
All companies that import, manufacture and rebrand electrical and electronic
equipment have to finance its treatment, recovery and safe disposal. There are also practical implications for any business that uses electronic products.
What is RoHS?
The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations aim to reduce the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment in order to make it easier to recycle.
Envirowise has produced downloadable fact sheets to explain the obligations of the WEEE and RoHS regulations for different industry sectors. They provide practical guidance on how being resource efficient can help to meet these obligations.
Additional resources
EN759 An overview of the WEEE Regulations.
EN760 The WEEE Regulations and Procedures of Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
EN761 The WEEE Regulations and Distributors of
Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
EN762 The WEEE Regulations and Business Users of
Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
EN763 An overview of the RoHS Regulations.
EN764 Beyond WEEE and RoHS: Cleaner Design.
EN792 A Guide to Eco-design of Energy-using Products (EuP).
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