WEEE Directive begins final phase
The Government has announced the last phase of the implementation of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive.
As of 1 July 2007, WEEE will come into force, with the aim of ensuring hardware that has reached the end of its life is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
The Government has launched a consultation, which can be found here, on the proposals to be implemented. The consultation will be closed on 17 October.
Whitehall is proposing the introduction of a network of take-back facilities where consumers can return old equipment as well as the creation of authorised treatment centres to recycle the kit and monitor WEEE levels — checking how much hardware passes through the system.
Hardware manufacturers will also be obliged to sign up to a WEEE-compliance scheme.