At EnviroCraft, we help businesses across the country to reduce their environmental impact, and adopt modern, conscientious and sustainable best practices.
At the core of this, are our efforts to help our customers develop their knowledge about the latest (and greatest) recycling and waste management processes that are available to them.
By having access to better environmental education, businesses can ensure that they are always achieving environmentally sound practices; maximise the amount of waste that is diverted from landfill; and future-proof their brand for the long term.
Below, you can find a complete guide to the WEEE recycling waste codes.
In reducing business waste, these codes for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are absolutely imperative.
Keep reading to find our full breakdown of WEEE recycling waste codes, their meanings, and how they affect your business.
Recycling Codes for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
WEEE waste is covered by a number of different classification codes, including various categories of waste, and different codes for domestic and commercial waste.
As a business, when you dispose of WEEE materials, you must include the right classification code within the item description. You must also label your WEEE waste accordingly.
This practice is part of your businesses’ legal requirements, and comes under your ‘duty of care’.
These codes are designed to assist waste handlers, ensuring they dispose of or recycle the waste in the correct manner. WEEE recycling codes also help to increase the volume of waste that is sent to landfill, by ensuring these materials are appropriately sorted, treated and either reused, recycled or remanufactured wherever possible.
Batteries
Batteries contain many harmful substances, including the corrosive substances sulphuric acid and potassium hydroxide, alongside metals like cadmium and lead.
If these substances were to leak, they could cause a serious biohazard for water supplies, cause significant damage to the environment, and, in some circumstances, even become explosive.
As a result, it is essential that they are stored, transported and disposed of correctly.
What’s more, as they are a particularly resource-intensive product, following the correct battery recycling processes can have a major environmental impact. In fact, in many cases, recycling specialists can achieve a 95% proven recycling rate for batteries.
Light Bulbs & Lamps
Light bulbs, lamps and fluorescent tubes contain mercury, cadmium and lead.
These are dangerous materials, which pose significant risks if they are incorrectly disposed of. If these substances are absorbed through the skin or inhaled, they cause serious harm to both humans and animals.
Some lamps also contain sodium. If sodium reacts with water (even in small amounts, including the amount of water that is naturally present in the air), this can produce flammable gases, and potentially cause an explosion.
However, in some cases (particularly with energy efficient light bulbs), the constituent materials used for light bulbs and lamps can be separated and then recycled.
By using WEEE recycling for light bulbs and lamps, a waste specialist can effectively recycle or remanufacture any appropriate elements, and then safely dispose of the rest.
Televisions, Laptops, Tablets & Mobile Phones
This category includes all electronic devices with screens, such as televisions, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, and so on.
These devices contain mercury and cadmium (so that their screens can light up). However, due to the presence of these materials, if these electronics aren’t handled and disposed of correctly, these substances can infiltrate water supplies. If ingested in large doses, they cause organ failure and mental impairment.
To correctly and safely dispose of these technologies, they must be treated by experts. They are taken apart, and the dangerous components are carefully removed and disposed of.
Alternatively, thanks to recent advancements in technology recycling, many of the materials (including valuable and finite resources) can be reclaimed. In fact, up to 80% of your phone is recyclable. What’s more, this includes almost all of the device’s gold, copper, cobalt and tin.
Or, there is also a growing market for refurbished devices. For example, organisations like Back Market offer a convenient way to purchase refurbished devices. By enlisting a trusted recycling specialist to handle your business waste, they will ensure your old devices are recycled or refurbished in the most effective way.
Fridges, Freezers, Chillers and Air-Conditioning Units
In cooling devices, refrigerant gases (such as chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons or hydrochlorofluorocarbons) are often used.
These gases can severely deplete the ozone layer, making them an extremely hazardous contributor to global warming. So, during the disposal of these items, it is imperative that the correct steps are taken to capture the gas(es).
Equally, the metals, plastics and insulating foams and oils that are used in these devices need to be handled carefully, so that they can be recycled. By following the right processes, around 95% of your fridge can be recycled.
Other White Goods
This category includes a range of large appliances, such as washing machines, cookers, dishwashers and tumble dryers.
They are classed as hazardous waste due to their cables, metal components and electronic elements. These parts can all be harmful to the environment. But, by correctly disposing of them, these hazardous materials won’t end up in landfill, and all the device’s elements will be recycled wherever possible.
Other Devices
A wide range of other small appliances can be recycled under WEEE codes. These include computer keyboards, electrical toys, irons and power tools, for example.
Many of these devices also contain hazardous materials, including (but not limited to) ink toners, batteries and cables. If discarded with general waste, these substances could leak into surrounding soils, infect wildlife, or contaminate water supplies.
By using WEEE codes and getting the devices recycled by a specialist, these hazardous parts can be removed and decontaminated, before isolating and recycling all possible parts.
At EnviroCraft, we are waste management specialists, supporting businesses across the UK with their commercial waste disposal and recycling.
We offer a comprehensive range of services, including WEEE recycling collections and disposals. We can help your business dispose of 14 different varieties of WEEE waste, including everything from large and small domestic appliances to medical devices, and solar panels to IT and telecommunications equipment.
To find out more about WEEE recycling, or to enlist our team to collect and dispose of your WEEE recycling, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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