Every time you buy a new electrical product, do you spare any thought to what will happen to the one itâs going to replace? The governmentâs WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) regulations are designed to make sure that we do. More than 1 million tonnes of old and no longer needed equipment are thrown out every year. Itâs one of our fastest-growing types of waste, and in many cases, many small electrical appliances can have a productive second life after you have disposed of them.
Many waste electrical products may no longer function but their usefulness is often held in the components and base materials which can be recycled and reused, for many years people have been aware of how their household waste such as tin cans, newspapers and bottles can be recycled to provide renewable resources and electrical goods are just the same.
So when youâre upgrading or replacing, think â can I recycle my old product? Recycling much of our household waste has become second nature, thanks to kerbside collections and the increasing ability of local councils to salvage items disposed of at your local tip. You can often find electrical equipment banks in the most unlikely places â one was placed on the Glastonbury Festival site in 2009, for instance.
Most companies take very seriously their responsibilities under the WEEE regulations. These stipulate that they must offer you the facility to dispose of your old equipment free of charge. When you purchase from any electrical appliance retailers you should ask about the disposal of your WEEE products as some businesses offer to take them for you when they deliver your new appliances .
Responsible retailers acknowledge that as an important link in the supply chain, their activities will have an impact on the environment, but when it comes to the disposal of your old electrical and electronic items, they have found that they can help solve the problem of what to do with your old appliances as opposed to dumping them where harmful materials that are inside some of these appliances can leak and do damage to the environment.
There are many government approved schemes that can collect your waste electrical goods so that you do not have to worry about the damage your old appliances are doing to the environment. Some people may have illegally dumped their appliances in the past and this could lead to fines and prosecution. The law is going to be much stricter on these kinds of offences from now on as the issue of global warming and toxic materials becoming much more prevalent in recent years.
If you have been looking for new refrigerators or chest freezers then make sure your old appliances are disposed of properly as they can contain harmful materials that can leak.
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