WEEE Directive
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (or WEEE Directive for short) came into force in January 2007 following an extremely long process of drafts and amendments to the legislation.
In short it aims to improve the environmental performance of businesses that manufacture, supply, use, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment. Also it aims to encourage everyone to reuse, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment waste.
Does the WEEE Directive affect the cleaning industry?
Yes, all professional versions of electrical products are covered under the WEEE Directive. Professional products are those for professional use, so all vacuum cleaners, rotary floor machines, mains scrubber driers and other electrical machinery used for professional cleaning falls under the WEEE Directive.
In an effort to make life simpler the government has divided products into various categories. Vacuum cleaners, carpet sweepers and other appliances for cleaning fall into WEEE Category 2: small household appliances.
As a Business user of Electrical Cleaning Equipment how am I affected?
Maybe. If you brought the equipment before 13 August 2005 and do not replace it then you are responsible for financing and arranging treatment in accordance with the WEEE regulations and existing waste management legislation, including the Duty of Care and Hazardous Waste Regulations.
However, if you brought equipment before 13 August 2005, and are replacing it with new equipment fulfilling the same function, then the producer of the new equipment is responsible for the collection, treatment and recycling of the old equipment, regardless of whether they were the original manufacturer.
If you brought electrical equipment after 13 August 2005, then the producer of that equipment is responsible for its collection, treatment and recycling when you dispose of it.
So is there any cost to the business user for disposal of the equipment?
The regulations allow producers and business users to agree 'alternative arrangements', whereby the business user agrees to take on some or all of the future costs of the end-of-life treatment of the equipment they buy. This is a commercial decision that you will need to make and is likely to form part of the normal negotiating processes for supply contracts in the future.
Victor may offer you incentives to remove, recover and recycle your waste machines, usually incentives are offered on a one for one old for new based on new machinery purchases.
What should I do?
It is recommended that you think about the environmental consequences before deciding to replace equipment. Remember to take account of the WEEE Regulations when entering into commercial negotiations and procurement decisions concerning EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment).
We are aware that not all manufacturers or producers of WEEE are not fully compliant with the WEEE regulations and do not have the appropriate systems in place for recovery and recycling of WEEE.
If you are buying electrical products from a distributor or other intermediary, make sure you obtain the producer registration number for the equipment being supplied so that you know who to contact to arrange disposal at the end of its life. Suppliers of EEE should always be able to provide this on behalf of producers. Please note that in the case of refurbished machines the obligations of disposal fall on the business that has carried out the refurbishment, in short, the refurber takes on the obligations of the producer. Many businesses who refurbish machines are unable to dispose of them in line with the WEEE Directive.
If the producer is responsible for WEEE disposal, establish whether it is the producer or the producer's compliance scheme who will be arranging for disposal, and whether collection will be from your premises or a local collection facility.
Dowding & Plummer Ltd. are a fully WEEE registered producer and have appropriate systems in place for recovery and recycling. For further information on our WEEE policy and how we can help you dispose of your end of life Victor Machinery please call us on 0121 706 5771 or email: info@victorfloorcare.com