Responsible Computer Recycling

As of January 2nd 2007, all businesses and organisations that dispose of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) MUST comply with the new WEEE Directive, which lays down strict requirements for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of such waste.

The legislation will impact on any business or organisation that manufactures, assembles, imports, re-sells, retails, disposes of or receives these items for disposal.

Non compliance could result in unlimited fines for offending companies and for individual Directors and Managers on a personal level.

So, what will be classed as WEEE?

Well, the list is quite daunting, covering a huge range of domestic and commercial waste, including:

- IT and Telecommunications Equipment (e.g. PCs, copiers, phones, mobiles) - Toys, Leisure and Sports Equipment (e.g. video games, bike computers, slot machines) - Medical devices, except implanted and infected products (e.g. ventilators, analysers) - Monitoring and control instruments (e.g. smoke detectors, thermostats) - Automatic dispensers (e.g. drinks dispensers, chocolate dispensers, ATMs)

Latest estimates put the amount of WEEE discarded in the UK every year at something approaching 2 million tonnes and escalating rapidly. Currently much of this goes unsorted to landfill, but an amazing 98 of the waste, in the form of raw materials such as plastic, steel, aluminium and copper, is sent for re-introduction into the manufacturing chain. This reduces the pressures on global raw material resources and the pollution created by the manufacturing of new supplies.

Using Midex as your local WEEE processor will also reduce transportation and the associated environmental harm. Other disposal services are further afield and often transport their waste over long distances or export it overseas, where there is less control over its re-use, possibly for illegal scams and identity theft, or the involvement of child labour in its processing.

Midex offers experienced, specialist and environmentally responsible local disposal, guaranteeing you complete compliance with the new WEEE directive.

About The Author If you want to find out more about Computer Recycling visit http://www.midex-rt.com where we cover all electronic and computer waste.