WEEE (the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) was formed in Europe with the objective of streamlining the waste disposal of electrical and electronic equipments. The law with respect to collecting, recycling and recovering all types of electronic and equipments was established in February 2003, and it holds the manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipments responsible for disposing of such goods and compels them to use the collected waste in an Eco friendly way.
The WEEE directive holds the right to fine any manufacturing company that is not found to comply with its rules. The first step in complying with WEEE would be to find out if the products that a company manufactures come under WEEE regulations. If it does, the company needs to register with a compliance scheme and following that a plan has to be drawn up showing what should happen when the products manufactured reach their end of life based on the compliance scheme.
The required financing for the treatment and recovery of these goods must be carried out by the company. All the products manufactured by the respective company must bear the mark of a crossed out wheelie bin symbol and the producer’s identification mark.
If the regulations are not followed by an electrical and electronic goods manufacturing company, the WEEE directive holds the right to prosecute the organisation under law and impose a fine of an appropriate amount – up to fifteen million pounds. The loss of sales could be the major penalty faced by the company if a product is impounded, and the executives of the company could face imprisonment as well.