The WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) which will be in force from January 2006 sets a
compulsory household collection target of 4Kg by the end of 2006 with new targets to be established by the end
of 2008.
Producers and retailers will be responsible for the cost of recycling and reuse of waste electrical and electronic
appliances. This presents new challenges to the sector to expand the reuse and repair of a whole range of
electrical equipment. Refurnish Devon is currently working in partnership with other voluntary and statutory
organisations to develop one or more WEEE centres. These will specialise in the the reuse and recycling of
electrical goods (although other household and commercial products will also be dealt with, from where national
standards of good practice will be developed and disseminated
The intention of the proposal is to operate a regional “bulking” or “consolidation” facility, to provide a service to
the Local Authorities, retailers and other WEEE stakeholders in the area, to aid the collection and separation of
WEEE and reusable WEEE from the waste stream, and to receive reusable furniture from the bulky household
waste stream.
As part of the Furniture Re-use Network’s (FRN) national plan for these facilities to
be set up in all regions of the UK, this facility will provide a service to the Local
Authorities and other WEEE stakeholders in the area, to a nationally recognised
and accredited standard of service. The Re-use Organisation is developing the
operations and capacity to work with Local Authorities and commerce to collect
and separate end of life electrical and electronic equipment. The items collected
from civic amenity sites, bulky waste collection services, local manufacturers,
and from retail take-back systems will be taken and bulked up at a large regional
storage warehouse, for assessment and separation.
Devon County Council does
not currently provide waste
disposal facilities for
businesses, other than
garden waste and cardboard,
however ReFURNISH Devon
may be able to provide a
WEEE waste collection on
useable items.
© ReFURNISH Devon 2010