The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations aim to tackle the environmental impacts of electrical and electronic equipment when it reaches the end of its life. It applies the ‘producer responsibility’ principle to producers to finance the costs of the environmental treatment of waste electrical items.

The regulations place various obligations on producers, distributors and business end-users of electrical and electronic equipment. It aims to reduce the amount of electrical and electronic equipment going to landfill and to encourage reuse, recycling and recovery.

The WEEE Regulations also aim to improve the environmental performance of businesses that manufacture, supply, use, recycle and recover electrical and electronic equipment. If you are an importer, rebrander or manufacturer of new electrical or electronic equipment, then it's likely that you'll need to comply with the UK's WEEE Regulations, which implement the WEEE Directive. If you do need to comply, then you must register with a producer compliance scheme.

You may also have obligations under the WEEE Regulations if you are a business with electrical or electronic equipment to dispose of, or if you sell electrical or electronic equipment.

When businesses produce waste, they have a range of responsibilities. These include complying with the requirements of the duty of care, and if they're producing hazardous waste, they may need to register as a producer under the Hazardous Waste Regulations.