Whether you have a few redundant items or broken electronics at home, or if you are a business upgrading your electrical equipment, then you are not alone.
The UK is one of the largest producers of e-waste in the world and the good news is that we are all part of the solution to tackling this.
An electrical item is anything that has a plug, uses batteries, needs charging or has a logo of a crossed-out wheelie bin on it.
What are the different types of electrical waste?
Broadly speaking, there are 10 types of electrical waste, including:
- Large household appliances (e.g. fridges and washing machines)
- Small household appliances (e.g. vacuum cleaners and toasters)
- IT and telecommunications equipment (e.g. computers and telephones)
- Consumer equipment (e.g. radios and TVs)
- Lighting equipment (e.g. fluorescent tubes and discharge lamps)
- Electrical and electronics (e.g. lawnmowers and drills)
- Toys, leisure and sports equipment (e.g. games consoles and running machines)
- Medical devices (e.g. analysers and cardiology equipment)
- Monitoring and control equipment (e.g. smoke detectors and thermostats)
- Automatic dispensers (e.g. for hot drinks and money)
If you are disposing of any of these items, then they are classified as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
The UK government has very strict laws and regulations around WEEE, so it is important that you follow this accordingly otherwise you may face prosecution and a hefty fine.
Why should you use a waste collection company to dispose of electrical waste?
RecycleZone specialises in safe e-waste collections that are fully compliant with the WEEE directive.
All businesses and households will have to dispose of electrical waste at some point and our job is to make it as convenient for you as possible. By calling us, we will save you time, money and effort that can be better used for other aspects of your day and business.
Whatever your WEEE disposal needs are, we can come and collect them from you. We operate across the whole of London and the UK, so no job is ever too big, too small or too far for us to come and help you.
If you want to find out more about us, and the services that we offer, please do not hesitate to get in contact for a free, no-obligation quote and see for yourself how easy we can make the disposal of your electrical waste.
What are the alternative options when it comes to disposing of electrical waste?
There are a number of different options available to you if you want to dispose of your electrical waste.
Donate your electrical items
Probably the easiest option for you is to give these items to someone else, especially if there is nothing wrong with the item. Or you may know someone who renovates old electrical items, in which case donating it to them as a project would also be a viable option.
If it still works, you may have a friend, relative or neighbour who would appreciate the item in question, or it could be donated to a charity.
This option is probably only suitable for smaller items, as once the size of the appliance increases, you will then need to organise safe and appropriate transportation for the items.
Sell your electrical items
If the electrical items are in good condition, then you may want to try and recoup some money for them. If this is the case, then selling them online, either via social media or a selling platform, might be a possible avenue to explore.
Some high street shops also buy second-hand electrical appliances, so you could certainly enquire with them as to whether they would be interested.
This option is great if you want some extra cash in your pocket, but there is always the risk that you won’t sell it or people will not give you as much money as you want for it.
The other option to factor in is if you are buying a new electrical item from a retailer, then you can organise with the company to take back your old item when they deliver your new one. But there may be an incurred cost for this service if they are collecting from your home.
We on the other hand will come and collect whatever needs disposing of. All we ask is that it is accessible and then leave the rest to us. Our team will turn up, lift it themselves and transport it off to be recycled giving you complete peace of mind that it will be disposed of appropriately.
Recycle your electrical items yourself
Recycling WEEE is an important but specialist part of the waste and recycling industry. Therefore, to ensure your old electrical items are recycled appropriately, you should follow the WEEE guidelines carefully.
Some items, such as televisions, laptops and mobile phones must be disposed of carefully and safely. This is because some of their components contain hazardous materials. If these are released into the environment, they will have harmful effects on local residents and wildlife.
Some local authorities also accept small electrical items as part of their home recycling schemes. However, you would need to contact them to find out if this was the case. For larger electrical items, this would not be possible, or practical.
So why not save yourself the hassle and headache and get a professional waste company, like RecycleZone, to come and collect your WEEE for you and we will take care of the recycling on your behalf.
Can I put my old electrical items in the general waste?
In short, the answer is no. You must never dispose of electrical waste in your general waste bin.
You can of course get rid of them by other means, but they must never end up in a general waste facility. Environmental laws and EU directives are now in place to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites.If you fail to comply with these, then you face the risk of prosecution and heavy fines.
If you want to get rid of old electrical items, and you do not know the best way to do this, then simply contact us and we will come and collect them from you. No stress, no worries and no repercussions for you in terms of meeting government legislation.
We will do it all for you.