Although the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations were introduced in July of 2007, nearly a year ago, one in five companies claim they still don’t understand how it applies to them. The WEEE regulations promote the environmentally conscious directive which requires business owners and manufacturers of electrical equipment to dispose of old equipment purchased after 13 August 2005 in an environmentally-responsible fashion.
Basically stated: If you have an old computer or other equipment you want to get rid of, you can’t just throw it in a bin. A supplier or service company must be contacted to ensure it’s disposed of properly. It’s much like recycling newspapers or cans.
Although the WEEE regulations seem relatively straightforward, a survey conducted by Dell shows otherwise. Of the 100 small businesses that participated in the study, 81% were aware of the regulations; 22% didn’t realise that the legislation applied to them.
The Dell survey also uncovered other surprising statistics. Approximately 29.7% of companies employ power-management software while only 14.4% use duplex printing techniques which are a simple, cost saving, green exercise. More than half of the survey participants admitted that lack of knowledge is what keeps them from using green IT products, such as energy-efficient servers and printers.
“There is still work to be done by the Government and vendors in educating businesses about IT equipment disposal responsibilities,” said John Holbrow, Federation of Small Businesses environment chairman.
“Alongside more widely-embraced green initiatives such as reducing power consumption and paper use, responsible IT disposal is a legal requirement with cost implications for those who do not comply.”
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