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On July 1, new regulations forming part of the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive came into force throughout the UK.
According to these regulations householders can return end of life electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) purchased after 13th August 2005 to the distributor they bought it from and the latter is required to accept it free of charge.
Retailers may set up alternative collection systems as long as they are still convenient for customers. Householders can also dispose of such waste at local authority civic amenity sites or other designated collection facilities. These regulations do not however apply to non-household users. Retailers selling second-hand or reconditioned EEE, such as charities or shops selling EEE that has been refurbished by the voluntary and social enterprise sector, are exempt from take-back obligations.
Although the WEEE Regulations do not place legal obligations on householders, they are encouraged to discard waste EEE separately from other waste at the end of its life. Waste separation makes it possible for hazardous substances to be removed from EEE making recycling of other materials possible.
SEPA is the regulator for most aspects of the WEEE regulations in Scotland and its role is to:
approve WEEE producer compliance schemes who want to be registered in Scotland
register producers of electrical and electronic equipment via compliance schemes
maintain a public register of registered producers
allocate producers‘‘ recycling and recovery obligations according to their market share
manage the data on the WEEE collected, treated and recovered or recycled by producers and/or their compliance schemes
identify free-riders and undertake any enforcement actions according to the regulations
regulate sites that will store and treat WEEE
approve authorised treatment facilities and exporters of WEEE so that they are able to issue evidence of treatment and recovery
monitor and enforce compliance with the treatment and recovery requirements.
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