Why Recycle Old IT Equipment?

Why should we recycle? Well, householders and businesses in the UK throw away a minimum of at least one million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) each year, and this figure is estimated (2021) to be growing by up to 80,000 tonnes annually. This is a huge amount of IT waste alone and is causing many issues globally.

The recycling and treatment of EEE is not currently undertaken to a sufficient extent, so the introduction of the WEEE Directive in January 2007 introduced strict legislation to address the situation and try to curb some of the significant growth seen in this sector.

The WEEE Directive aims to both reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment being produced and to encourage everyone to reduce, reuse and recycle. A great initiative that will see more being kept out of landfill and reused or recycled meaning less harm to the environment.

The Directive also aims to improve the environmental performance of businesses that manufacture, supply, use, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment. This will benefit home and business owners across the UK with more affordable solutions and more importantly a lower carbon footprint for the UK.  

Within the WEEE Directive is the Hazardous Waste Act 2005. Under this legislation any company that disposes of more than 500kg of hazardous electronic equipment per annum must register with the Environment Agency as a producer of hazardous waste.

Under the WEEE Directive you cannot dump redundant electronic equipment, thus you will have to engage the services of a reputable IT disposal company. In addition to your recycling responsibilities, you must adhere to the Data Protection Act and ensure that all data is destroyed professionally and effectively.

R3 are a registered waste management company that can help your business ensure you do your bit for the environment whilst also being legally compliant with all the regulations. So why not contact our friendly and professional team today on 01189 454 225 to find out how we can help with your exact needs.