The European WEEE directive has 3 main objectives, they are:

• The prevention of waste from electronic and electrical equipment
• The re-use, recycling and other forms of recovery of such wastes
• Minimising the risks and impact to the environment associated with the treatment and disposal of end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment

The above regulations came into force on the 2 January 2007 and this has implications for any business selling items that fall under this legislation.

Purchase of any product displaying the crossed out wheelie bin symbol either on the packaging or on the physical item means that these items cannot be disposed of via the normal household domestic waste bin and should be separated for treatment/disposal/ recycling where applicable.

Any business that sells items of this nature to household consumers for domestic use must either be registered with a Distributor Take-back Scheme or offer free in store take-back. The Distributor Take-back Scheme supports the national network of Designated Collection Facilities. Members of this scheme are contributing towards a national fund to assist local councils to further develop their existing waste electronics collection facilities. This will allow producers of these items to meet their obligations. Any member of this scheme has an obligation to provide information to you about the separate collection facilities available for WEEE.

Businesses that are not members of the Distributor Take-back Scheme must offer free in store take-back.

Techfocus.co.uk is offering free in store take back to UK household consumers/businesses that purchase any of our products affected by the legislation on a like for like basis.

The UK currently produces about 900,000 tonnes of electrical and electronic waste each year. This includes a wide range of items from TVs and fridges, to computers and children's toys. Household consumers do not currently have any legal obligations under the WEEE legislation however we would encourage everyone to actively participate in minimising the impact waste has on the environment by recycling wherever it is possible.

For more information on how to dispose and recycle items in the UK affected by the legislation and other recycling tips please see the links below:

http://www.recycle-more.co.uk
http://www.recyclenow.com

Techfocus.co.uk is a member of the Transform producer compliance scheme and our registration number will be published shortly.

For non UK customers residing in other EU member states please contact the relevant authority for details on how the legislation affects you in your particular country.