Electrical (WEEE) Waste

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which was first introduced in 2007, governs how manufacturers and retailers in European countries behave in regards to recycling. The regularly-updated WEEE directive is designed to ensure that less harmful electrical waste is sent to landfill. Recycling is the safest and most responsible way to dispose of electrical items that are faulty or otherwise beyond repair. 170 million new electrical items are purchase in the UK each year, but we currently recycle less than a third of these when they come to the end of their lifecycle. Electrical and electronic equipment is made up of a wide variety of materials, many of which can be reused (for example, there’s enough steel in an iron to produce 13 steel cans). By recycling your old and unwanted electrical items, you are doing your bit to help the environment by preventing potentially hazardous waste from entering landfill and causing soil and water contamination.

Almost all electrical items with a plug or a battery can be recycled, including the following:

• Large household appliances like fridges, freezers, microwaves, dishwashers and washing machines.
• Smaller household appliances like irons, toasters, kettles and vacuum cleaners.
• IT and communication equipment like laptops, fax machines, printers, phones and smartphones.
• Audio, audio-visual and other entertainment-related equipment like mp3 players, stereos, TVs, DVD players and games consoles.
• Tools like drills, saws, lawnmowers and sewing machines.
• Personal grooming gadgets like electric toothbrushes, hairdryers, straighteners and curling tongs.

If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions, them your electrical item can be recycled:

• Does it have a plug?
• Does it use a charger?
• Does it use batteries?
• Does it carry the WEEE wheelie bin logo (a crossed out wheelie bin)?

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