Recycling advice aims to reduce electronic waste

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 1, 2008

Under new regulations, the impact of waste electrical and electronic equipment, (WEEE) on the environment must be minimised through re-use and recycling wherever feasible.

In the UK we now throw away some 1 million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment each year.

From washing machines to keyboards and lightweight mobile phones to equipment control consoles weighing several tonnes, discard is invariably less expensive than repair, so out it goes.

Many types of electrical equipment that finish up on the scrap heap contain toxic metals known to be hazardous to health.

Cadmium and mercury are just two of the major polluters which no doubt assisted in triggering the recent EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment which came into force in amended format on January 1st 2008.

Under the new regulations, the impact of waste electrical and electronic equipment, (WEEE) on the environment must be minimised through re-use and recycling wherever feasible.

The directive further seeks to reduce the volumes of waste electrical and electronic equipment going to landfill by making producers responsible for financing the collection, treatment and recovery of waste electrical equipment and by obliging distributors to allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge.

This is quite a change from previously accepted practice, where such equipment invariably finished up "dumped" along with general rubbish, scrap and waste.

According to Barry Groves of WE3 Recycled , a UK based consultancy dedicated to assisting both public and private organisations comply with the WEEE Directive, such legislation is both long overdue and timely.

He confirms that: "Not only are we currently generating over one million tonnes of electrically oriented waste each year, the level of discard is already increasing at the rate of 80,000 tonnes each year".

"Without the directive we could have reasonably expected the rate of such disposal to landfill to have gone exponential".

Commenting on the implications of the new WEEE directive Groves added: "I sincerely hope that the directive will act as a catalyst to ensure that manufacturers, distributors and end users become more aware of the implications of their actions".

"There is a growing demand within the UK and the rest of the developed world for goods designed, made, sold and eventually discarded in an environmentally and socially responsible manner".

"The fact that this can be done cost-effectively using best practices in all areas has already been adequately demonstrated".

"There is now little doubt that more and more consumers are questioning how the goods they purchase are made and their effect on society and the environment both during use and disposal".

"Low energy light-bulbs and the plastic components in motor vehicles are perhaps the best reported current examples and more will follow".

Groves added: "Further guidance and information concerning the new legislation is available from numerous websites and from ourselves at WE3 Recycling".

"We go much further, however and function pro-actively in assisting our clients not merely to comply with the new directive but to establish and maintain policies, practices and documentation exceeding the requirements of the legislation as proof of the social and environmental ethos of their enterprise".

"Numerous local, regional and national companies have already used our services as part of their drive to demonstrate their commitment in these areas and we are confident that many more will follow their example".