|
Have You Taken Action on WEEE Electrical Regulations?
 If
you use, manufacture, import, or retail
electrical goods then you may be aware of
the Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment Regulations 2006 (WEEE), which
have been delayed several times but are now
law. The final part of the regulations came
into force on 1st July alongside
the smoking regulations; and if you have not
found out already you must find out
now whether you need to act.
The rules are designed to place a
responsibility to recycle on producers,
sellers and users of electrical equipment.
There are three categories that your
business may fall into:
Equipment Users:
If you use electrical equipment you must
store, recycle, and dispose of WEEE waste
separately to other waste. You must keep
proof that the WEEE waste was disposed of in
an environmentally sound way by a waste
management company.
Equipment Manufacturers / Importers
You should already be part of a producer
compliance scheme; and your products that
are WEEE eligible should be marked with a
crossed out wheelie bin logo as well as your
company’s identifier mark (which you get
when signing up for a compliance scheme).
You also need to make certain information
available about the equipment you place on
the market, and keep records for 4 years.
Equipment Distributors
You must establish an in-store take-back
scheme for WEEE goods, or become part of a
distributor take-back scheme. You need to
provide your customers with information the
scheme, as well as the environmental impact
of electrical equipment and WEEE eligible
equipment. This should include what the
crossed out wheelie bin symbol means and how
customers can deposit WEEE goods for proper
treatment and recycling.
Failing to meet the WEEE regulations can
land you with a fine and eventually even a
prison sentence, or a ban on your products;
so you need to act quickly!
Find out more about the WEEE directives at
the governments NetRegs site.
|
