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Disposing of used equipment

By law producers of electronic and electrical equipment have to pay for the collection, treatment and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment (known as 'WEEE'). The regulations also mean that suppliers of equipment, like high-street shops, must allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge.

Shops and internet retailers that supply electrical goods must provide information explaining how the shop is going to take back WEEE. They must either:

• offer a take-back for free service when you make a like-for-like purchase - for example, take back your old toaster when you buy a new one, no matter where you bought the original
• tell you where the nearest local drop-off point is if they are part of the Distributor Take-back Scheme - often at local authority civic amenity sites

When you buy a new electrical product you should ask the shop how it is going to take back your old one. If you have bought a new item the shop should allow you a reasonable period after you have bought it to return the old equipment it is replacing. You can also ask if they provide a collection service and what it costs.

The existing options for having your equipment collected, reused or recycled will continue to be available to you – for example, your local council should have a scheme to collect old fridges.

You could trade or barter equipment through organisations like Freecycle or donate it to a local charity. 

The Furniture Reuse Network has an interactive map which will tell you where your nearest centre is. 

Council websites often list local charity schemes that accept electrical items.

• Reducing waste, re-using and repairing
• Freecycle - find exchange projects in your area (opens new window)
• Furniture re-use network (opens new window)

Types of product that are covered

You can tell which products are covered by the WEEE regulations by looking out for the ‘crossed out wheeled bin symbol’, which means that you should dispose of it separately from other household rubbish.

Types of household electrical and electronic equipment that are covered include:

• large and small household appliances – for example, washing machines, freezers and vacuum cleaners
• IT and telecommunications equipment such as computers and mobile phones
• consumer equipment like radios and TVs
• electrical tools such as drills and saws
• leisure and sports equipment such as video game consoles

This covers products that use electricity for their main function. However, a gas cooker with a small electrical clock would not be WEEE, because the main function (cooking) is not electrical.

Find out more

• Waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) - Environment Agency website (opens new window)