Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment Regulations

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive is a UK law introduced in July 2007 with the aim to reduce the amount of waste created by electronic equipment. The amount of WEEE we throw away is increasing by around 5% every year, making it the fastest growing waste stream in the UK.

Much of the UK’s WEEE ends up in the landfill, where the lead and other toxins it contains can cause soil and water contamination. This can have a harmful effect on natural habitat, wildlife, and human health. Many electrical items that we throw away can be repaired or recycled. Recycling items help to save our natural finite resources and also reduces the environmental and health risks associated with sending electrical goods to landfill. 

The introduction of these regulations means that manufacturers of electrical equipment now need to pay for the collection, treatment, and recovery of waste electrical equipment and that the suppliers of equipment, like high street shops and internet retailers, are now able to allow customers to return their waste equipment free of charge.

So as an example; if a customer bought a new GPS from us, we would accept their old GPS and prevent it from going into a landfill site by disposing of it safely.

Send Us Your WEEE Items

Customers must return their WEEE items to us within 28 days of purchasing their new item.

If you would like to send us your old WEEE items, please contact us.

Under the WEEE regulations, all new electrical goods that fall under these regulations will be marked with the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol as shown opposite.

Our WEEE Producer Registration Number is WEE/JJ2966QU

Waste Battery And Accumulators Regulations

The majority of batteries in the UK are thrown away and end up in landfill where they can leak harmful chemicals into the soil. 22,000 tonnes of batteries ended up in landfill last year - which equates to the weight of over 3,000 elephants!

Recycling facilities for batteries are available at all of our stores. We dispose of returned batteries via the Battery Compliance Scheme.

Find Out More

If you have any questions about sending us your old WEEE items, or disposing of batteries in our stores, please contact us. 

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