The introduction of WEEE, that is to say the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment legislation which came into effect in 2007 brought about a sea change in the way in which electronic and electrical equipment was classified, as well as its management and subsequent disposal by industry. Within the framework of the legislation electrical and electronic equipment is now classified as hazardous waste; anything which appears in the following list now has to be safely, securely and ethically disposed of by operators and recyclers, all of whom have relevant licenses issued by the Environment Agency.
- Mobile phones and other hand held comms devices
- Computers, laptops and tablets
- Monitors and other viewing devices
- Photocopiers, fax machines and printers
Although the list isn’t exhaustive, the robust guidelines which cover the collection, transport and subsequent disposal are fully prescribed; any company which doesn’t comply with the legislation is open to potential criminal prosecution and huge fines being levied.
Ninety nine percent of all electrical and electronic equipment manufactured contains varying amounts and combinations of lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and bromine to mention just a few examples; the potential for damage to the environment over time was plain for all to see, hence the introduction of WEEE to prevent the continuing dumping of said equipment into landfill sites.
Moreover, any equipment which has the potential for storage and dissemination of data such as disk drives, flash and/or RAM memory modules and other such devices, has to be disposed of by an operator duly licenced by the Data Commissioner’s Office. The entire life cycle of every piece of equipment used in the workplace has to be recorded, along with the details of the disposal agency, transporting agent and/or recycler.
If you only have small numbers of equipment coming redundant at intermittent intervals, it is not possible to efficiently introduce your own in house team of specialists. The legislation is wide ranging and if not complied with fully can lead to fines and a potential criminal record. To ensure all your electrical and electronic equipment is disposed of safely, securely and ethically contact Dynamic Asset Recovery today and keep yourself and the business legal.