Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
Overview
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment is end of life electrical and electronic equipment i.e. items that require electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to operate. WEEE was first introduced by the WEEE Directive in 2002 to address the environmental impacts of unwanted electrical and electronic equipment at end-of-life and disposal. WEEE is classed as either household or non-household WEEE. The objective of the Directive and its transposed legislation, the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2007, as amended is to promote recycling and minimise waste by putting the emphasis for end-of-life treatment and recovery on the original producers or distributors of the items.
Macro Tonnage
The most recent information published by DEFRA is summarized in the pie chart below, with 592,905 tonnes of discarded equipment waste generated in the UK in 2016 (WEEE being part of this category):
