Weee rules shake up disposal

More options for retired equipment

The government has published its rules for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Weee) directive that is likely to cause a significant change in disposal options for retired IT equipment.

From July next year, makers of electrical goods will have to make good the cost of waste products under Weee. The directive will lead to more signage at retailers and local authorities to show where equipment can be left, and producers will be forced to collect more hardware. By 15 March, producers must have joined a compliance scheme, but many big vendors are already preparing for Weee.

Science minister Malcolm Wicks said, “There is currently no incentive for those that produce them to care about the lifecycle of their products. These regulations will mean they can no longer shirk this responsibility.”

Dell said that that return rates from businesses were already very high but Weee could help it improve consumer return rates from PCs and printers, which are currently in the “low single-digit” percentage range, according to Jean Cox-Kearns, Dell senior take-back and recycling manager.

“In Ireland, [Weee principles] are already part of the sales programme and we need that early interaction with the customer,” Cox-Kearns said.

Dell is currently growing its take-back and recycling by about 50 percent annually but still has a shortfall in its attempts to meet requests for PC donations.

While the effects of Weee, like the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) before it, will largely be confined to suppliers, watchers believe that such environmental rules could have an impact on IT buyers. For example, more cautious product introductions by smaller firms and even minor price rises are predicted.

Perhaps more significantly, media coverage of Weee is likely to see more firms re-examine their attitudes towards disposal.

Although the DTI said its approach to regulations is to be “as light-touch as possible”, Weee has already shown that it has teeth. Pharmaceutical retail giant Boots’ Irish operation was hit by a fine in January.

Some suppliers are turning to waste experts to stay compliant. For example, optical networking firm Infinera and messaging appliance firm Mirapoint are both working with specialist firm M-Cubed to help document and register schemes.