UK still rubbish at hardware recycling

PCs are still being dumped despite the availability of free take-back schemes

The UK is the worst country in Western Europe for recycling electronic hardware, despite e-waste legislation being in place for nearly two years. Research by supplier Dell found that 13 per cent of UK consumers do not recycle electrical goods at all, more than four times the figure in Germany.

And awareness of legislation such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which requires manufacturers to offer hardware take-back schemes, are lower in the UK than anywhere else.

“The UK has always been behind on this issue and the WEEE legislation in the UK is still finding its feet,” said Jean Cox-Kearns, European recycling and take-back manager at Dell.

The survey suggests there is a desire for more electrical recycling services ­ – more than half of those polled said they recycle everything they are able to. But Dell’s experience is that take-back schemes, although on offer, are not being used.

“We offer free take-back, but we haven’t seen a high adoption rate,” said Cox-Kearns. “Maybe people still think you have to pay.”

Awareness among businesses is little better and take-back rates are not much higher, according to Dell. A survey last year found that only a third of small businesses are aware of WEEE, despite generating 60 per cent of commercial waste in the UK.

Tony Juniper, former Friends of the Earth director and now an independent sustainability adviser, said more needs to be done by industry and government. “These findings show a clear need to drive awareness around the mounting issue of e-waste and its serious implications for health and the environment,” he said.

“It’s a case of manufacturers and governments making the disposal of old electrical equipment as accessible and commonplace as recycling paper, plastics and glass.” The body responsible for enforcing WEEE and encouraging its adoption in the UK is the Environment Agency (EA), but the agency has many other responsibilities to handle in addition to this. Earlier this year EA made its first arrest on e-waste in the wake of a media campaign that highlighted the extent of illegal dumping in Africa.

The European Commission (EC) estimates that across the EU only about a third of electrical and electronic waste is treated in line with the WEEE Directive, and the illegal trade in waste continues from all countries.

The EC is proposing to revise the WEEE Directive to make it easier to police and to set a new binding target. The current aim of 4kg per person per year will be revised up to equate to 65 per cent of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market over the two previous years in each country.

How to dispose of old computer hardware

Donate to a charity such as Computer Aid: Your computer hard disk will be wiped, and the system used in schools and healthcare in developing countries. Although this prolongs the life of of hardware, critics say it may eventually end up in landfill after schools have disposed of it.

Agree a take-back deal with your supplier: If equipment was bought after August 2005, the hardware supplier is legally obliged to dispose of it.

Choose an alternative use for it: The regulations allow producers and business users to agree “alternative arrangements”, whereby firms can agree to take on some or all of the future cost of the end-of-life treatment of the equipment.