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Disposal of electrical items - duty of care

What do I do with my old electrical items?

The Reuse and Recycling Centre at Townmead Road, Kew is a Designated Collection Facility for household Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. At this site separate containers are provided for the following household WEEE materials:

  • Large household appliances (for example: washing machines or cookers)
  • Fridges and freezers
  • Televisions and computer monitors
  • Gas lamps (fluorescent tubes)
  • Other WEEE (commonly called small WEEE) (for example: hair dryers or electric toothbrushes)

If you are uncertain as to which container to place your WEEE, please ask a member of staff on site who will be happy to assist.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive) aims to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment, by increasing re-use and recycling and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill. It seeks to achieve this by making producers responsible for financing the collection, treatment, and recovery of waste electrical equipment, and by obliging distributors to allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge.

The WEEE Regulations apply to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) which falls within the 10 product categories listed in the WEEE Directive:

  1. Large domestic appliances
  2. Small household appliances
  3. IT and telecommunications equipment
  4. Consumer equipment
  5. Lighting equipment
  6. Electrical and electronic tools
  7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
  8. Medical devices
  9. Monitoring and control instruments
  10. Automatic dispensers

The WEEE Regulations will apply to the following groups:

  • Producers (any business that manufactures, imports or rebrands electrical and electronic products)
  • Retailers and distributors (any business that sells electrical and electronic equipment to end users)
  • Local authorities
  • Waste management industry
  • Exporters and reprocessors
  • Businesses and other non-household users of electrical equipment