As a rule, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) shouldn't be disposed of along with household waste. EEE may contain hazardous substances which, if exposed, could cause a serious detrimental effect on the environment, wildlife, and human health.

In June 2000, the European Commission put forward proposals to address this issue, and in December 2002, these were passed as the EU Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive. Such proposals were updated in the WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU.

The major provisions of the WEEE Directive are:

• All producers (manufacturers, or anyone selling a product on the market in the EU) are liable to pay for take-back, treatment and recycling of end-of-life equipment.
• All producers have the obligation to improve re-use/recycling of WEEE.
• All producers have the obligation to ensure the separate collection of WEEE.
• All producers have the obligation to inform the public about their role in dealing with WEEE.

According to the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), all producers of EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) are liable to finance take-back systems, waste treatment, and recycling of equipment they place on the market, at the end of their lifecycle.

If you'd like to dispose of electrical or electronic equipment for recycling, we recommend that you:

• Donate the unwanted item to a charitable organization.
• Take it to one of the ERP UK collection points (you can find your nearest collection point by visiting https://erp-recycling.org/uk/where-to-recycle).
• Take part in national recycling campaigns.
• If you have purchased your product from local trader, please contact that trader to know more about the solution they have in place for disposing of your old electronic equipment.

Removing personal data from electrical and electronic devices

If you are an owner of a personal electronic device that is covered by the WEEE Directive such as a computer, mobile phone, or camera, you should erase all personal or confidential data before recycling it. You can do this by restoring the device to its factory settings, which is normally done in your device’s settings menu.

Also, you should delete any personal or confidential data on any internal storage device such as a memory or SIM card. Manufacturers, importers and distributors are not liable for any data on your device. Before resetting your device, you should always:

• Back up any sensitive data such as photos, contacts and messages.
• If possible, restore the device to its factory settings.
• Sign out of any accounts you’re signed into such as Cloud storage, social media, and messaging apps.

For more information, see: www.gov.uk/guidance/regulations-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment

Registrations

UK: WEE/MM7695AA (Comply Direct)