As part of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (or WEEE), which has been in effect since 2007, recycling centers and services across the UK have been doing what they can to recycle electronic and electrical waste. With over a million tonnes of electrical goods produced every year, let’s take a look at what we can do to reduce our electronic landfill waste, and to ensure that the reusable resources within our electronic find another use.
What’s recycled under WEEE?
Essentially, most household electrical goods and electronic devices can be recycled in full or in part when following WEEE. Their regulations cover the following:- Large household appliances e.g. fridges, cookers, microwaves, washing machines and dishwashers
- Small household appliances e.g. vacuum cleaners, irons, toasters and clocks
- IT and telecommunications equipment – e.g. personal computers, copying equipment, telephones and pocket calculators
- Consumer equipment e.g. radios, televisions, hi-fi equipment, camcorders ad musical instruments
- Lighting equipment e.g. straight and compact fluorescent tubes and high intensity discharge lamps
- Electrical and electronic tools – e.g. drills, saws and sewing machines, electric lawnmowers
- Toys, leisure and sports equipment e.g. electric trains, games consoles and running machines
- Medical devices e.g. (non infected) dialysis machines, analysers, medical freezers and cardiology equipment
- Monitoring and control equipment e .g. smoke detectors, thermostats and heating regulators
- Automatic dispensers e.g. hot drinks dispensers and money dispensers
How are plastic goods recycled?
There is a range of plastics used in different electronic goods. Here’s a range of plastics and which electrical and electronic products they are most commonly found in:- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene - telephone handsets, keyboards, monitors, computer housings
- Aikyd resins - circuit breakers, switch gear
- Amino resins - lighting fixtures
- Epoxy resins - electrical components
- Ethylene vinyl acetate - freezer door strips, vacuum lean hoses, handle-grips
- Phenol formaldehyde - fuse boxes, knobs, switches, handles
- Polyacetal - business machine parts
- Polyamide - food processor bearings, adaptors
- Polycarbonate - telephones
- Polyesters - business machine parts, coffee machines, toasters
- Polyethylene - cable & wire insulation
- Polymethyl methacrylate - hi-fi lids, windows on tape decks
- Polymethyl pentane - circuit boards, microwave grills
- Polyphenylene oxide - coffee machines, TV housings
- Polyphenylene suiphide - hairdryer grilles, element bases, transformers
- Polypropylene - kettles
- Polystyrene - refrigerator trays/linings, TV cabinets
- Polysulphone - microwave grills
- Polytetrafluoroethene - electrical applications
- Polyvinyl chloride - cable and wire insulation, cable trunking
- Styrene acrylonitrile - hi-fi covers
- Urea formaldehyde - fuse boxes, knobs, switches