Electronics Recycling

The Regulations affect producers of EEE and distributors of EEE (mainly retailers), and there are no exemptions for SMEs under the Directive; hence the WEEE Regulations apply to all businesses regardless of size. However, the Government is working to ensure that any costs to SMEs are not disproportionate. Distributors of EEE have a responsibility to provide facilities to enable the free take-back of household WEEE by final holders/end users and to provide information to consumers about EEE. The legislation covers goods such as household appliances; IT and audio-visual equipment; tools; toys, leisure and sports equipment; monitoring and control instruments; medical devices; heating, cooling and lighting equipment; and automatic dispensers.

For Business Users - WEEE must be stored, collected, treated, recycled and disposed of separately from any other waste a business produces. Business owners also have to obtain and keep proof that all WEEE has been given to an authorised waste-management company, and that it was disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.

Equipment producers are those that manufacture, import or re-brand equipment. These producers must join a producer compliance scheme, and they are financially responsible for collecting, treating, recovering and disposing of WEEE equivalent to the amount of equipment they produce. Other requirements for producers include providing information about the components and materials used in their equipment, which ultimately makes it easier to treat and re-use the equipment, and also marking all goods with a crossed-through wheelie bin symbol to indicate that users should keep WEEE separate from other waste.

Equipment Distributors - These are businesses which sell electrical and electronic equipment to end-users. This applies to retailers, wholesalers or distance sellers such as a mail order or internet business. Distributors have to ensure that their suppliers are registered with their environmental regulator, provide customers with information about the environmental impact of the equipment they are buying, and about the meaning of the crossed-out wheelie-bin symbol.

Electrical and electronic equipment recycling information
 
Many everyday consumer items now contain electronic parts. Dealing with the waste from this category is an important issue as electronic goods are becoming increasingly short lived, and so ever increasing quantities of obsolete and broken equipment are thrown away. Not only is this waste stream varied in its function but in addition the materials within it vary considerably. For example an average TV contains 6% metal and 50% glass whereas a cooker is 89% metal and only 6% glass. Other materials used include plastics, ceramics and precious metals. The complex array of product types and materials make waste electrical and electronic equipment difficult to manage.

The main component of waste electronic equipment is large household appliances known as white goods, which make up 43% of the total. The next largest component is IT equipment which accounts for 39%. Much of this is made up of computers, which rapidly become obsolete. Televisions also represent a large proportion, with an estimated 2 million TV sets being discarded each year. When obsolete materials are not recycled, raw materials have to be processed to make new products. This represents a significant loss of resources as the energy, transport and environmental damage caused by these processes is large.

Another major problem is the toxic nature of many of the substances, including arsenic, bromine, cadmium, halogenated flame retardant, hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), lead, mercury and PCBs, which cause damage to the environment and health.  The estimated number of fridges and freezers being disposed of in the UK is approximately 3 million units annually. These units contain gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) used for the coolant and insulation. Both CFCs and HCFCs are greenhouse gases which when emitted into the atmosphere, contribute to climate change.

Fluorescent Tubes - Research shows that there are more than 100 million fluorescent and highway lamps used in the United Kingdom each year producing in excess of 3,100 tonnes of waste material which, until recently, has ended up in landfill sites. Fluorescent lighting contains potentially harmful substances such as highly toxic heavy metals, in particular mercury, cadmium and lead. If they enter the body, these substances can cause damage to the organs. Mercury is also a neurotoxin and has the potential to build up in the food chain. The mercury content is the main concern with fluorescent lighting. A four-foot long fluorescent tube may contain over 30 milligrams of mercury; the mercury from only one fluorescent tube can contaminate up to 30,000 litres of water beyond a safe standard for drinking.

Computers and IT Equipment - Since 1996 the market for refurbished computers has increased by 500%, and there are many commercial organisations that buy and sell business computer systems, either as complete systems, or for refurbishment, or as spares for maintenance purposes.  There are also a number of community computer reuse projects in the UK to enable the movement of redundant computers from businesses to the community, by addressing the barriers such as legal liability, data protection, and logistics. Computers are typically donated to schools, charities and households or for export to developing countries. Upgrading a particular appliance can also extend the life span of electronic equipment, if the design allows.

Mobile phones - The rechargeable battery and other components such as the LCD display have toxic elements. Research suggests that there are over 20 million potentially toxic redundant mobile phones in the UK, making up 1-2% of electronic waste. The main channels for disposing of mobiles are the shops that sell them. Action Aid, Oxfam and others collect unwanted mobile phones too. The phones are refurbished if possible and sold to eastern European and African countries where the latest technology is not so advanced and where landline infrastructure is poor.

Printer cartridges - In 2003, 30-40% of the 40 million inkjet and toner cartridges sold in the UK were remanufactured or recycled, with 12-14,000 tonnes ending up in landfill. Refilling ink jet cartridges is straightforward and can be done on a DIY basis, with a number of companies supplying the ink and refilling equipment. In addition it is also possible to send cartridges away for refilling or to buy refilled cartridges. Many charities and individuals raise money through the collection of used printer cartridges for refilling and resale. Toner cartridges cannot be refilled, but most types of toner cartridge can be remanufactured. The cartridges are sent to a factory where they are completely dismantled and cleaned, any worn parts are replaced, and the drum either re-coated or replaced. They are then refilled with fresh toner, tested and sold with a guarantee.