Understanding The WEEE Regulations
Responsibility of Producer and End–User to Electrical & Electronic Waste
Over one million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment goes to landfill every year… WEEE aims to reduce this waste and increase recovery and recycling rates.
WEEE reduces waste and increases recycling
Over one million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment goes to landfill every year and most electrical and electronic waste is toxic, which can have long–term implications for the environment.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (WEEE Regulations), which came into force on 2nd January 2007 and implemented 1st July 2007, aim to reduce this waste and increase recovery and recycling rates.
WEEE makes producers, and the distributors of own brands such as Newlec, responsible for financing the collection, treatment and recovery of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
Under the terms of the Regulations, Newey & Eyre is professionally qualified and registered to help its customers comply with the WEEE regulations and recycle all Newlec products in a compliant and efficient way.
WEEE applies to 10 categories of products
- Large household appliances
- Small household appliances
- IT and telecommunications equipment
- Consumer equipment
- Lighting equipment
- Electrical and electronic tools
- Toys, leisure and sport equipment
- Medical devices
- Monitoring and control equipment
- Automatic dispensers
However, certain types of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) are exempt from the regulations. This includes equipment that is part of another type of a product that is outside the scope of the WEEE Regulations together with filament lamps and household lighting.
The WEEE symbol. The black line underneath indicates that the product was manufactured after 13th August 2005.
If a product is covered by the Regulations it will have a wheelie bin logo printed on it or if very small, the packaging it is contained in. Invariably, the logo will have a black line underneath it. This indicates that the product was manufactured after 13th August 2005, when all products subject to the Regulations had to be labelled.
Disposal of Household & Business Products
It is important to distinguish between a household and business product because the methods of disposal are different. One of the most common ways to differentiate between the two is to consider how they would have been disposed of before the Regulations — if the product would have ended its life in a domestic wheelie bin it is household, whereas if it was destined for a commercial skip, it is business.
- Household products
- A domestic product can usually be taken to a civic amenity centre and recycled free–of–charge. The manufacturer pays the council for the service. If a replacement appliance is being purchased, the distributor selling it is obliged to take the old product and deal with the recycling.
- Business products
- For a business product the end user needs to contact the manufacturer and find out whom it has appointed as its independent contractor to manage its WEEE compliance.
Newlec products, as an exclusive brand of Newey & Eyre, are classified as business products as they are directly supplied into the professional rather than domestic market.
Recycling Newlec Products
Newey & Eyre is responsible when a Newlec product with a wheelie bin symbol becomes waste. In addition, when a new Newlec product with this symbol is purchased as a replacement, Newey & Eyre will recycle the old product, regardless of its brand, free–of–charge.
To ensure this occurs, all manufacturers including Newey & Eyre, are legally obliged to join a WEEE compliance scheme, which is an independent contractor who manages WEEE compliance issues on behalf of its members.
Newey & Eyre has joined the largest manufacturer led business–to–business compliance scheme, namely B2B Compliance Ltd, to help communicate with customers and manage compliance.
Newey & Eyre Registration Number: WEE/DH0116XU
Your Responsibility
As a commercial end user of a Newlec product you are legally responsible for its recycling and for the transferring of the waste to someone or an organisation that is professionally qualified and registered to do so. But you are not obliged to use Newey & Eyre’s compliance scheme.
Guide to the WEEE Regulations and Waste Recycling Services
Our Recycling Service
You can recycle for free any Newlec item which carries the WEEE symbol, as well as any similar product it replaces, regardless of the brand.
By using Newey & Eyre’s recycling service, available at selected branches, you can be assured of a professional, legally compliant and complete recycling service which not only meets your WEEE recycling obligations, but also ensures that we take full responsibility for our own WEEE obligations.
Please note, for legal reasons, some branches cannot offer the service, so please check before returning waste products. Your nearest branch will advise you of the service available locally.
Commercial WEEE Recycling Service
Newey & Eyre also offers a commercial WEEE Recycling Service for non–Newlec items. Please ask at your nearest branch for further details.
Further Information
- Download our guide to the WEEE Regulations and Waste Recycling Services
- Contact your nearest Newey & Eyre Branch for a copy; or
- Call 0800 783 6909
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