All about WEEE...

Minimising impact on the environment

The WEEE Directive is here! The WEEE Directive became law in the UK on 2nd January 2007 with an implementation date of 1st July 2007.

From the 1st July 2007 RM has been fully compliant with the requirements of the WEEE Directive.

This article details the requirement of the Directive, RM's obligations and what this new law means to our customers. Explanations of the acronyms used in this article, can be found in the 'FAQ' section at the end of this article.

What is the WEEE 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 the disposal of waste electrical equipment. If you would like to understand the legislation further, click here.

The Legislation and RM's obligation
RM are responsible for:

The disposal of all EEE RM are the producer of, made available for sale on or after 13th August 2005
The disposal of all WEEE being replaced by new EEE sold by us, on a like for like basis, where we are the Producer of the new EEE and the where the WEEE was made available for sale to the customer, before the 13th August 2005.

What does this mean for our customers?
Since implementation of the WEEE Legislation on 1st July 2007, RM has been offering the following disposal services:

1. New WEEE - This service is for the disposal of any RM produced EEE purchased on or after 13th August 2005. This service can we requested at anytime.

2. Historic WEEE - This service is for the disposal of any EEE purchased before 13th August 2005, which is being replaced by new EEE produced by RM. The historic WEEE must perform the same function as the new EEE that is being purchased after 1st July 2007. You will need your RM number for the new EEE to confirm that you qualify for this service. This service must be requested within 30 days of the new EEE shipment.

3. Chargeable - This service is for the collection and disposal of any EEE you have, which RM are not obligated to dispose of. For just £20 per item we will organise the collection and disposal of your equipment. This service can puchased at your convenience.

Additional Services

Logistics
A chargeable service for the collection of New WEEE and Historic WEEE is now available. For just £4 per item we will organise the collection of New or Historic WEEE and safely deliver the equipment to our disposal partner.

You can choose to arrange logistics yourself, if you do decided to do this, further instructions will displayed once you have completed your disposal request.

Data Wiping
A chargeable service for Software Data Wiping is now available. The use of a software data erasure tool permanently and securely removes data but preserves the integrity of the Hard Disk allowing reuse of hardware. Our disposal partner, BTR, use the most secure software data wiping product, Blancco. This service costs just £4.50 per Hard Disk and is recommended for equipment previously used for administration purposes.

If you do not choose this service, your Hard Disk will be physical destroyed to ensure permanent eradication of the data.

When requesting a disposal service you will have the opportunity to select either of these additional services. By selecting either of the services, you authorise for an order to be loaded and invoiced.

Next steps - make a request online

An automated online system for requesting and monitoring disposal services is available. This system [My Equipment Disposals] is accessed via your My Account area. Here, you can request New or Historic WEEE disposals, as well as monitor progress of your disposal requests. New WEEE disposal will be prefixed with 'DN', and Historic WEEE 'DH'.

If you have purchased the Chargeable disposal service, as soon as the order is invoiced, the disposal request will appear in the My Equipment Disposal list prefixed with 'DP'.

Your can use the links below to access the automated online system or purchase the Chargeable service.

Frequently asked questions

What is EEE?
Electrical and electronic equipment

What is WEEE?
Waste of Electrical and electronic equipment

What is a Compliance Scheme?
An Authorised Scheme to which every Producer has to register, in order to comply with the Regulations of the WEEE Directive.

Tell me more about RM's chosen compliance scheme...
RM have registered with a compliance scheme called WEEE Compliance UK who have experience with providing services to the education market. WEEE Compliance UK are able to provide the required asset reports post-collection.

Tell me more about the required assets reports...
Between 4-6 weeks after the collection of EEE, the compliance scheme will provide customers with an assets report containing the following:
- What assets were removed, by seriAl number and asset number
- What happened to each piece of EEE, was it re-used, recycled, did it go to land fill?
- Certificate confirming that either; all data was wiped for the hard disk to MoD standards; or that the hard disk was destroyed

Can you give me some working examples to illustrate what this law means to me?
- Example 1 - A customer purchased 10 RM PCs and RM monitors after 13th August 2005 (WEEE logo present) and wishes to have this equipment collected and disposed of. RM are obligated to disposal of the equipment - New WEEE
- Example 2 - A customer is purchasing 20 PCs and 20 RM branded monitors from RM. The customer is replacing 20 PCs and 20 monitors bought from another IT supplier before 13th August 2005, with this new equipment. RM are obligated to disposal of the equipment free of charge - Historic WEEE
- Example 3 - A customer is purchasing 20 PCs and 20 monitors from RM. The customer is replacing 20 PCs and 20 monitors bought from another IT supplier after 13th August 2005, with this new equipment. RM are not obligated to collection and dispose of the PCs or monitors; the customer should contact the original supplier of the monitors who is obligate to collect and dispose of the monitors.

What is an item defined as?
An item is defined as ONE of EITHER:
- 1 x computer (desktop, tower, server, all-in-one, RM1, notebook or tablet PC)
- 1 x monitor (TFT or CFT)
- 1 x IT-based peripheral (printer, scanner, camera, projector, whiteboard)

What happens once I complete and submit my request form?
Your request will be validated by RM and then passed on to our Compliance Scheme. You will then be contacted directly by BTR UK, who will confirm the details of the equipment, check for any logistical issues associated with your location and then book a collection date with you.

How long do I have to book a date for the collection of my historic waste? You will have 30 days from the date of the despatch of your new EEE from RM, to book your collection date. The collection does not have to happen within those 30 days, but the date must be agreed with our Compliance Scheme before the 30 days expire.

What is RM's producer registration number?
WEE/BD0090VT