How to recycle electricals The Weee Directive

Recycling electrical products

UK households throw away around a million tonnes of electrical goods every year - enough to fill six new Wembley Stadiums.

Recycling waste electronic goods means they can be treated, hazardous substances removed and large amounts of materials can be recycled rather than sent to landfill.

And it's not just larger items such as washing machines, ovens, dishwashers and fridges that should be recycled. Smaller items, such as DVD players,mobile phones, hairdryers and kettles should also be disposed of separately from household rubbish.

The Weee Directive

The Weee logo

The Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (Weee) Directive is a European Directive, with UK regulations, which aims to encourage more re-use, recycling and environmentally sound disposal of Weee. It helps consumers access safer and more environmentally friendly ways to dispose of unwanted electrical goods. Products covered by the Weee Directive are marked with the 'crossed out wheelie bin' symbol (shown right).

Under the Weee Directive, all shops selling electrical products covered by the Weee Directive must help their customers to recycle old electrical goods for free. They can do this by:

• Offering a free in-store take-back scheme allowing customers to drop off old products when they buy an equivalent replacement electrical item, or;
• Helping to pay for an alternative recycling service for customers, usually a council-run recycling facility.
• Retailers can also collect old Weee when they deliver new items, but this may not be free.

Shops must also provide you with information about the environmental impact of substances in Weee, the meaning of the 'crossed out wheelie bin' symbol and details of how to dispose of Weee for recycling free of charge.

How the Weee Directive works for consumers

Retailers should provide you with Weee recycling info when you make a new purchase

The Weee Directive doesn't ban you from disposing of Weee in your bin, nor does it mean you can no longer donate electrical items to charities or community projects.

Instead, the Weee Directive helps support a network of collection points for recycling Weee and makes it easier for you to recycle your old electrical equipment.

When you replace or buy a new electronic or electrical item, ask your retailer about how to dispose of your old product, including:

• Whether the retailer offers an in-store take-back or home collection service. Retailers cannot charge for in-store take-back and should accept any 'like-for-like' product, such as an old microwave - no matter where you bought it - for a new one, or an old video cassette recorder when you buy a new DVD player/recorder, for example. They should accept the old item at the time of purchase or within a reasonable period afterwards, e.g. 28 days. They may charge for any home collection service that they offer.
• Whether the new electrical item you're buying falls under the provisions of the Weee Directive. Products covered by the Weee Directive must show the 'crossed-out wheelie bin' symbol (pictured above).
• How the retailer is going to dispose of your Weee for treatment and/or recycling. Shops can take back goods in store or tell you where your nearest local drop-off point is – a council recycling site, for example.
• You can find out how to recycle computers, recycle laptops and recycle mobile phones using our online guides.

For more information about Weee and to download a free fact sheet, visit the Environment Agency website.

Savvy recyclers can also make money recycling certain products – our green money-making guide has more information.