PC Recycling in Line With the WEEE Directive
The WEEE directive is a law that governs all matters related to the management and disposal of electronic and electrical waste products throughout the EU. All member countries including the EU are expected to adhere to this law without fail. The law aims at limiting the environmental impact of all IT and electrical equipment waste. Therefore, suppose you are an EU resident and you have prospects of discarding a computer. You will be required to adhere to the regulations and guidelines that are found in the directive. Disposing of electronic and electrical equipment in line with the WEEE directive simply means that the person who has prospects of discarding an electronic item has to meet the demand of this law. One of the notable features of the law is that it promotes the reuse and recycle of all IT equipment such as computers, mobile phones and printers. The ultimate goal of the law is to see to it that the degradation of the environment caused by the disposal of electronic and electrical items is as minimal as possible.
In the case of PC disposal, the law encourages owners to deliver their items to manufacturing companies. Every manufacturing company is expected to receive and recycle all recyclable items. In some countries, there is a body that is responsible for the collection of all non-functional electrical items from local inhabitants. Usually, there are centers that are specifically set up to facilitate the collection of electrical and electronic waste. If this is the case in your area, you can also find out from your local council where the waste disposal management and handling centers are located. It is usually mandatory for every manufacturing company to be an affiliate of a body that is responsible for the collection of all IT waste such as old and non-functional laptops.
The directive also stipulates that every manufacturing company that does not have any use for some fully functional computers and other IT machines is expected to donate them to individuals who can use them. This is one way of preventing the accumulation of waste in the environment. The directive acknowledges the fact that certain IT machines contain harmful substances such as lead which have the potential to harm the environment and the vulnerable children. For this reason, the WEEE places emphasis on limiting the disposal of any IT machine such as a PC.
According to the WEEE directive, all consumers of PCs are also supposed to be accountable to their actions of discarding any electrical item that they do not use. As consumers, they are supposed to make sure that they deliver all items that are not in good shape to the manufacturers who are near their area of residence. If this is not possible, they should deliver the items to any local bodies that have been entrusted with the responsibility of manning and managing the disposal of all PCs that are not used by consumers. This is the only way the environment can be saved from the harm that is caused by such machines.