WEEE rules for UK businesses explained
A plain English guide to WEEE rules for UK businesses: what counts as electrical waste, your duty of care, checking a waste carrier and protecting data.
Impactech
11/6/20261 min read
If your business replaces laptops, monitors, phones or printers, the old kit counts as waste electrical and electronic equipment, usually called WEEE. UK rules say how it must be handled. Here is what you need to know.
What counts as WEEE
Almost anything with a plug, battery or cable. For most offices that means laptops, desktops, monitors, servers, network switches, phones, tablets, printers and the cables and chargers that go with them.
You cannot put it in general waste
WEEE must be kept separate from general waste and passed to someone who can reuse, refurbish or recycle it properly. Putting it in a skip or a general waste bin breaks the rules and can lead to fines.
Your duty of care
Under the waste duty of care, your business stays responsible for its waste until it is handed to an authorised person. You should store it safely, describe it accurately and keep waste transfer records for at least two years.
Check the carrier is registered
Anyone who collects your waste must be a registered waste carrier. You can check a registration number on the Environment Agency public register in a few minutes. If a collector cannot give you a number, do not hand anything over.
Do not forget the data
WEEE rules cover the hardware, not the information on it. Laptops, phones and servers can still hold customer and staff data, so you also have duties under UK GDPR. Make sure every drive is wiped or destroyed and that you get proof.
How Impactech can help
Impactech is an upper tier waste carrier, broker and dealer, registration CBDU659902. We collect IT equipment free across the UK, wipe every drive to NIST 800-88 standards, reuse what we can and recycle the rest responsibly. Call 07349 960040 or email info@impactechno.com to book a collection.
Contacts
Email: info@impactechno.com
Phone: 07349 960040
Provident House, 44 Harpur Street, Bedford MK40 2QT
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Impactech Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17165189
Upper tier waste carrier, broker and dealer, registration CBDU659902