From 1 July 2007, government regulations called the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations came into force to encourage people to arrange collections or recycling of old electrical products, rather than throwing them away.
All Electronic and Electrical Equipment (EEE) placed onto the market from January 2, 2007 must be marked with the crossed out wheelie bin symbol shown below.
This indicates that it is covered by the WEEE Regulations. The WEEE Regulations require that producers or manufacturers of EEE become liable to pay for take-back treatment and recycling of end of life equipment (WEEE).
Recycling unwanted Electrical products is better for the environment. Electrical devices and batteries, rechargeable or not, should not be disposed of into ordinary household waste. Instead, they should be recycled properly to protect the environment and also to cut down the waste of precious resources.
It is simply EEE marked with the crossed out wheelie bin symbol shown above, that has come to the end of its life.
We encourage the take-back of household WEEE from UK consumers by our membership of a Government approved "Distributor Take-Back scheme" (DTS) set up by Valpak Limited (Valpak). Through Valpak we contribute to the establishment of a network of Designated Collection Facilities (DCF) where consumers may dispose of their WEEE free of charge for recycling and treatment in an ecologically sound manner. By doing this we encourage consumers to dispose of WEEE in a way that maximises its re-use and recycling. Having chosen this approach we will not ourselves accept returns of household WEEE for recycling, nor do we make arrangements for its collection.
We encourage consumers to dispose of WEEE at DCFs. These facilities are run to maximise the potential for recycling of WEEE. WEEE which cannot be re-cycled is disposed of in an ecologically controlled and sound manner ensuring the minimum adverse environmental impact possible. If you visit www.recycle-more.co.uk and enter your postcode it will tell you where the nearest DCF to you is located, alternatively your local authority, city council or waste management authority will be able to inform and advise you about recycling in your area.
Some WEEE may contain small amounts of substances, which if exposed, might have detrimental effects on sensitive environments and possibly human health. That is why all WEEE that you volunteer for recycling will be specifically collected by DCF's and then safely treated at regulated and approved recycling and disposal centres. By ensuring that you dispose of your old electrical equipment according to the WEEE regulations, you are helping to preserve our natural resources and protect human health.
If your old piece of electrical equipment is still safe and in a good working order please consider donating it to a charitable organisation or give it to someone else in need. By extending the lifetime of your old equipment you are also contributing to the efficient use of resources and avoiding additional waste.
Fuelled by a rapid increase in the use of portable power, the Batteries Directive has been designed to reduce the quantity and impact that waste batteries have on the environment. Under the legislation, the UK has new responsibilities on how batteries are recovered, treated and recycled.
It will reduce the quantity of waste batteries going to landfill and increase the recycling of the materials they contain. Manufacturers will also be restricted in the quantities of hazardous materials their batteries contain, such as mercury and cadmium.
BatteryBack provide compliance for Varta whose registered company is "Spectrum Brands (UK) Ltd". The membership number is BPRN00488 and a copy of the certificate can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
You can find out even more by visiting www.batteryback.org
View our compliance membership document below:
Spectrum Brands (UK) Ltd
Regent Mill, Fir Street
Failsworth, Manchester
M35 0HS
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0) 161 947 3000
Fax: +44 (0) 161 682 1708
info@eu.spectrumbrands.com
