Most SMEs unaware of WEEE

The majority of UK SMEs are still unaware of the 2006 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, research has found.

A survey by environmental guidance site NetRegs found that only 12 per cent of SMEs could name the WEEE Regulations unprompted, and just a third had heard of them once they were named.

The responses suggest that many SMEs in the IT and telecoms industries may be neglecting their environmental responsibilities and missing out on cost savings.

"SMEs generate 60 per cent of all commercial waste in England and Wales so it is critical that all users of electrical equipment understand what WEEE means for them," said Richard Martin, programme manager for NetRegs.

The WEEE Regulations were introduced in January 2007 to reduce the amount of electrical waste going to landfill, and are one of the most universally relevant of all environmental regulations.

Producers of electrical and electronic equipment are required to join a Producer Compliance Scheme and take responsibility for the treatment, collection and recycling of any waste electronic equipment produced since August 2005.

For business users WEEE means that they may return their end of life electrical equipment to the producer and may no longer need to pay to send their electrical waste to landfill.

"The good news for SMEs is that WEEE legislation can help businesses dispose of their electrical waste products in a sustainable way, in many cases at no cost," said Martin.

"Where businesses may have had to pay for a skip, now they can contact the producer of electrical goods they purchased since 2005 to dispose of them."

NetRegs strongly recommends that SMEs incorporate WEEE into their p rocurement procedures, and to check that the producer a new piece of equipment is legally registered and already conforms to WEEE.

At the end of the equipment's life, disposal should be easier and should improve the SME's green credentials.

The NetRegs study found that 48 per cent of SMEs had introduced practical measures to reduce environmental harm, but the common percentage is much lower and certain sectors perform significantly below the average.

Unsurprisingly, those in electronics and electrical manufacturing are better informed, with 33 per cent able to name WEEE unprompted. Businesses in agriculture and transport have a long way to go, however, at two and five per cent respectively.

"Many sectors wrongly believe that WEEE is only relevant to businesses in the electrical sector. In fact, if you use a computer, a photocopier, or even have a microwave in your staff kitchen, you need to be aware of what WEEE means for you," said Martin.

Even those familiar with the regulations still have concerns over products such as PCs and mobile phones which may contain sensitive data. Currently the regulations do not cover responsibility for data in products which have storage.

This has led some companies to offer piece of mind when disposing of these products by ensuring that all data is completely wiped.