WEEE is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, growing by at least 5% each year

We dispose of over 1.2 million tonnes of electrical and electronic waste every year in the UK from the public alone.

Each and every year, this is the equivalent of:

150,000 double decker buses

OR

164 Eiffel Towers

OR

200,000 African elephants

OR

444,444 4x4 vehicles

The amount of electrical waste created by members of the public in the UK would fill the new Wembley Stadium 6 times over every year!

The average UK citizen will discard 3.3 tonnes of WEEE in a life time – equal to one double decker bus for each and every family, 2 million TV sets alone are discarded every year.

Electronic waste is increasing 3 times faster than average municipal waste and the EU estimates that WEEE currently accounts for 4% of total waste.

Much of the UK’s electronic waste ends up in landfill sites, where toxins put communities at risk. Failure to segregate any type of recyclable material in the home will usually result in items being disposed of in a landfill site (buried in the ground in the UK) or being incinerated.

It has been estimated that landfill space in the UK will run out within the next 10 years. Recycling WEEE will bring significant benefits to our environment.

Where WEEE is not recycled, this waste can have negative impacts on soil, air and water quality which can lead to environmental damage, and have negative impacts on human and animal heath.

Householders should be aware of the ‘crossed out wheeled bin symbol’ either on their products or packaging, as shown here:

All new waste electrical and electronic equipment should be marked with this symbol. This symbol aims to encourage householders to separate WEEE so that they discard it other than with general household waste.

The crossed out wheeled bin symbol is not intended to indicate to householders that WEEE is banned from being disposed of as general household waste. Moreover, the intention behind the symbol is that, when coupled with information supplied by distributors as to the availability of recycling facilities, householders will be encouraged to recycle these products where possible.

Since 13 August 2005, producers are required by law to ensure that the crossed out wheeled bin symbol is printed in a visible, legible and indelible form on the product itself, except for in exceptional cases where this is not possible due to the size or function of the product. In such cases, the symbol must be printed on the packaging, the instructions for use and/or the accompanying warranty (where applicable).