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More and more people are using electronic equipment on a day to day basis, meaning there is more and more waste electrical equipment. Unlike household rubbish, waste electrical equipment must be disposed of correctly.

Disposing of WEEE Waste is equally important for small businesses as it is for larger organisations and Acumen has been helping companies across the UK safely dispose of their WEEE waste for a number of years. Below we outline what WEEE Waste is and what you can do.

What is WEEE?

WEEE is an acronym for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. It is reported that over 2 million tonnes of WEEE Waste is disposed of by domestic clientele each year. When you consider that almost every electrical appliance counts as WEEE (including ones plugged in or requiring batteries,) that figure makes perfect sense.

WEEE Waste falls into distinct categories including:

  • Large household appliances – e.g. fridges and washing machines
  • Small household electricals – e.g. toasters
  • IT and telecommunications – e.g. PCs and mobile phones
  • Lighting equipment – e.g. fluorescent tube lights
  • Electrical tools – e.g. drills and sewing machines
  • Toys, leisure and sports equipment – e.g. electric trains and exercise machines
  • Medical devices – e.g. dialysis machines and medical freezers
  • Monitoring and control equipment – e.g. smoke detectors and heating regulators
  • Automatic dispensers – e.g. hot drinks machines

WEEE Waste must be disposed of correctly because they contain a variety of materials, some of which are hazardous (like arsenic and mercury). Exposure to their materials can pose health risks and damage the environment if not disposed of correctly. Statistics show that cooling equipment makes up most of the non-household WEEE Waste in the UK. Those that are between 10 to 15 years old are also likely to include Ozone Depleting Substances such as chlorofluorocarbons.

If you fail to comply with the government’s WEEE regulations, this can have significant financial consequences. Business who fail to comply with this legislation can face fines of up to £5000, so it is important to dispose of WEEE appropriately, to reduce the risk of incurring government penalties.

That is where Acumen comes in. We offer a variety of services to help you deal with your WEEE Waste from one-off collections through to regular pickups and disposals. If you would like to know more about any of our services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of our team today.