Recycling your electrical and electronic items

WEE SculptorThis picture is a sculptor called WEEE Man. He can be found at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The sculptor has been commissioned to highlight the fact that as consumers, we throw away on average three tonnes of electrical goods in our lifetime.

On July 1 2007 The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 became law. This law, generally known as WEEE is in place to make sure that producers' of electrical and electronic goods, take financial responsibility for the environmental impact of their products.

The new legislation encourages all parties involved in the life cycle of an electrical product to think about the environment. This includes the producer, the distributor or retailer and the consumer, which is you.

As a consumer of electrical goods, the Cheshire Waste Partnerhsip would encourage you to separate as much of your electrical goods as possible. Locally you can do this via the following routes:

  • If you buy a new electrical item and have it delivered to your house, then the retailer should take your old one away free of charge. Ask your local store for details of their electrical recycling scheme.
  • If you have got old equipment but are not buying new, then you can take it to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre, where they have separate containers for general electrical goods, TV's and fridges.
  • Your local member of the Cheshire Furniture Re-use Forum will collect any electrical items in good working order that you nolonger need. Visit the Cheshire Furniture Re-use Forum website.
  • Finally, 'your waste, could be someone else's gold!' So you could try to sell it via your local paper, Internet or just giving it to someone who needs it.

For more information about the Waste Electrical and Electronic Regulations visit the Direct Gov website.