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WEEE

WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) recycling is a rapidly growing sub-sector of the recycling industry and it is estimated that two million tonnes of WEEE is discarded every year. Learn more about WEEE here.

Are you guilty of the UK's e-waste secret?

It’s movie night at home. You throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave and start it up, but nothing happens.

How our technology obsession led to crisis for element mining

This March saw the 150th anniversary of the introduction of one of the most celebrated scientific achievements – the Periodic Table of Elements.

Understanding consumer trends for WEEE

Last month, the WEEE Forum made a call for the next European Commission to make quality standards for WEEE treatment legally binding.

Was the Resources and Waste Strategy worth the wait?

Just before Christmas, Defra published England’s first new waste strategy for 11 years.

How can we achieve more transparency in the WEEE sector?

As our reliance on technology becomes more prevalent, so too does our propensity to throw devices away without considering what happens to our once-beloved iPhone or DVD player.

Could the future of sustainability lie in how we view reuse?

Michael Gove wants to open the nation’s rubbish dumps, according to a report in The Sunday Times.

How WEEE freeriders are costing the industry millions

The growth of online shopping is harming the environment thanks to ‘freeriders’ escaping WEEE compliance – but there is a solution.

How TOMRA is developing its technology to serve a growing demand for high quality recyclate

Whether it’s sorting, mining, recycling or food, the TOMRA brand is known across the world.

How the new Urban Mine Platform can benefit the UK's WEEE recycling industry

The new Urban Mine Platform provides a useful data tool for the UK WEEE recycling industry.

Using WEEE regulations to access free lamp recycling

Not everyone knows that waste management companies can use the Waste Electronic Equipment regulations to access free lamp recycling. Nigel Harvey, CEO of WEEE scheme Recolight explains more.

Electric avenues

REPIC’s Mark Burrows-Smith looks at some of the potential challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the WEEE industry, both in the UK and in Europe, against the background of Brexit

Reflecting on WEEE issues

Dr Philip Morton has been CEO of REPIC, a UK-based WEEE producer compliance scheme, for 12 years and during this time has seen some significant changes in the industry. From 2017 Dr Morton will hand over the role of CEO to Mark Burrows-Smith, who brings a wealth of experience from the recycling and energy from waste management sectors in the UK and Europe - with previous roles including chief operating officer of Viridor and chief executive officer of Greenstar. Here Dr Morton shares his thoughts on some of the challenges and achievements over the last 12 years.

Recycle to sender

The rise of online retailing of electronic goods brings with it new challenges when it comes to end-of-life and regulatory compliance. A new solution has emerged in Germany that will make linking with recyclers as simple as a click of the button. Michael Gormann, the managing director of European Recycling Platform Deutschland, sets out the solution for the German market and what can be learned from it here in the UK

Lamp recycling is still a communication challenge

Households may be disposing of lamps less regularly thanks to the shift to energy-efficient LEDs, but many are still dumping them in the normal bin rather than recycling them. Stewart Price, general manager of Lumicom, reports

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Smart meters

With the second year under the new WEEE Regulations under way - and with increased collection targets for member states - Dr Philip Morton, CEO of the UK-based producer compliance scheme REPIC, explains why intelligent target setting is the right solution

WEEE are the champions

As the value of waste electrical and electronic equipment becomes widely recognised, more effort is being expended to make the extraction of this value profitable for recyclers and reprocessors – alongside initiatives to reduce waste in the first place such as repairability scheme the Restart Project. Maxine Perella reports

Ten times more WEEE is mismanaged within Europe, says report

A two-year investigation into countering illegal exports of WEEE across Europe has revealed that 10 times more WEEE is mismanaged and discarded within Europe itself than the actual volume exported. According to the report, some 4.7 million tonnes of WEEE was wrongfully or illegally traded in the EU compared with the 400,000 tonnes of e-waste which was exported.

Count on WEEE

A report by the United Nations University has warned that global e-waste will reach 50 million tonnes by 2018 – and the UK is among the top five per capita producers. Dr Philip Morton, chief executive of REPIC, WEEE Forum president and director of WEEE Europe, shares his thoughts

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Systematic fridge demanufacturing helps reduce CO2, says German association for remanufacture of refrigeration equipment

From the point of view of climate protection policy, around 40% of the waste refrigeration appliances awaiting recycling in Europe are ticking time bombs, claims RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Remanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment.

The new WEEE Regulations: An analysis so far

Dr Philip Morton, CEO of REPIC and director of WEEE Europe, gives his analysis of the first compliance year milestone since the recast WEEE Directive was transposed into UK law and discusses what the industry can expect for the year ahead.

What did the waste sector achieve in 2014?

This year ended much like the last: in disappointment. But despite the lack of interest shown in waste policy across Whitehall and, perhaps even Europe, the sector has carried on regardless. Freelance writer, David Burrows looks at the highs and lows of the UK waste management industry over the last 12 months.

The future of WEEE: What lies ahead?

The European Recycling Platform UK held a seminar in June to examine the future of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) with four guest speakers looking at WEEE from the USA to Africa as well as tackling the themes of eco-design and individual producer responsibility. Freelance writer, Claire Col reports.

EU e-waste collection boosted by legislative revision

The increasing volume of WEEE is recognised by the European Commission as the most rapidly growing waste, therefore it is seen as an environmental concern. The latest revision of WEEE 2 Directive (2012/19/EU) emphasises a much higher rate of collection, recovery, and recycling. Monika Chrusciak reports.

Encouraging growth in resource efficiency

An economy that is committed to achieving higher levels of resource efficiency is somewhat of a pipe dream right now for those trying to deliver intelligent-led waste solutions, but if an influential group of Conservative MPs get their way, this could soon become a reality. Maxine Perella, freelance journalist reports.