The WEEE Directive was published on 3rd November 2003, the aim being to reduce the amount of electronic and electrical equipment becoming waste and to improve the performance environmentally of all involved in the lifecycle of this type of equipment by increasing recycling and recovery.

Waste management legislation is currently developed from European Directives, these cover not just the disposal of waste, but the way it is handled and treated. Equipment covered by the Directive includes items from white goods to computer and IT systems, components and general hardware. In essence, any equipment that requires a current to flow through it will be covered by the Directive.

The effects of the Directive impact considerably on all IT departments, imposing an increased level of responsibility in asset management policies. Every user will need to observe a Duty of Care on the use, handling and secure disposal of IT hardware. It will no longer be possible to dispose of equipment in landfill or ‘skips’. All IT users will be required to implement disposal procedures that ensure compliance with the WEEE requirements.

This Directive covers the disposal of waste including batteries, power supplies and cathode ray tubes. Therefore any IT equipment that includes these, monitors, laptop batteries and the like, will be subject to the legislation.

All companies using equipment that falls within these two Directives have a duty of care to ‘take all reasonable steps’ to ensure their equipment is safely and properly kept and disposed of.

For more information and to register with the Environment Agency under this Directive click here.