The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) was introduced into UK law in January 2007 by the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Regulations 2006. The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive aims to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment being produced and to encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover it. WEEE is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Each year in the UK, the general public dispose of over 1.2 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste, the equivalent to 150,000 double decker buses!
After the introduction of UK WEEE legislation, all organisations and or institutions are classed as B2B (Business to Business). End users of non-household WEEE will be responsible for the environmentally sound disposal of it. There are potentially serious consequences for you if you do not comply, including fines, bans on your products and even imprisonment.
To legally transport and recycle WEEE waste you must be licenced by the Environment Agency. Any company that offers this service must hold a waste carriers licence and an environmental permit or exemption. All WEEE waste should be recycled in accordance with guidance on Best Available Treatment, Recovery and Recycling Techniques (BATRRT) and treatment of WEEE.
Movement of all WEEE waste must be accompanied by a waste transfer note (WTN) and if in the case of hazardous WEEE (batteries, lead / mercury etc.) a hazardous waste consignment note (HWCN).
Revive IT hold an environmental permit which allows us to recycle and refurbish any IT equipment (hazardous or non-hazardous). We are visited and audited by the Environment Agency on a regular basis.
You must keep copies of all your WTNs for at least two years (three years for HWCNs) and must be able to produce them on demand to the Environment Agency or local authority, or you could be fined.
As a recycling company we ensure where possible we do everything we can for the environment:
- Anything that isn’t IT equipment is still recycled (e.g. paper/cardboard/glass etc.)
- We link collections together to reduce fuel consumption
- We use green cleaning products to clean our offices
- All printers and computer settings are pre-set to black print as default
- When not in use, electronic equipment is switched off
- All lights are switched off at night
- All ink / toner cartridges are recycled.
- We hold both UKAS accredited ISO 14001 (environmental) and 50001 (energy) accreditations
- We incorporate environmental and energy efficiency policies and guidance into staff training
- Everything we collect is considered for re-use. If re-use isn’t possible then the materials will be recycled in accordance with BATRRT
