The UK’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations require that all producers of electrical equipment are now obliged to pay for recycling of household electrical goods, where previously this bill was met by councils or items were not recycled at all. These regulations also require that all retailers both actively assist in delivering a UK wide WEEE collection infrastructure and encourage the participation of consumers in recycling electronic equipment  Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams and much of it can be recycled and resources recovered to make new consumer goods.

 

Compliance With the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations

One way of meeting our obligations as a distributor as defined in the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations (SI 2006 No. 3289 - 11 December 2006) (referred to hereafter as “the WEEE Regulations”), is to opt directly to take back old waste devices on a one for one basis. 

 

Our Registration Details

Any business, either UK based or foreign, which sells electrical goods onto the UK market needs such a registration. Failiure to register and comply with the Department of the Environment can result in prosecution and heavy fines.

 

Our Producer Registration Number (PRN or WEEE number) is - WEEE/HG2094TS.

 

If you would like to know more about WEEE and RDO's registration details, further information can be found on the UK Environment Agency website.

 

RDO Medical's Return and Recycle Initiative

RDO Medical UK Ltd distributes electronic fertility monitors and digital thermometers which at the end of their lifecycle become WEEE. Upon shipping one of these devices we include a "Return and Recycle Card" which is a prepaid postage label that can be attached to a suitably wrapped device and returned to RDO Medical via any UK post office. The device returned to us could be the same product we send out or a similar product which it may be replacing. In both cases the postage is paid by us and upon receipt we will handle its safe disposal or its reuse.

 

Why Should We Recycle?

The amount of electrical waste we throw away is rapidly increasing. It has now become the fastest growing waste stream in the United Kingdom.  New technologies being developed, an increasingly affluent society combined with a throw-away lifestlye have contributed to this increase.

 

Over 75% of waste electrical goods end up in landfill, where toxins contained in electrical goods can cause soil and water contamination. This can have a very harmful effect on natural habitat, wildlife and also human health. At RDO we believe this is unacceptable. Many of the electrical items that we throw away can be repaired or recycled. Recycling items helps to save natural finite resources and also reduces the environmental and health risks associated with sending waste electrical goods to landfill.

 

Re-Using Instead of Recycling

Reusing something which you perceive to have outlived it’s usefulness is really the best option for the environment.

 

Reusing something always requires less energy than recycling, even if it has to be reconditiioned or serviced like with a device such as the type RDO distribute.  RDO Medical works in conjunction with various bodies including the Ethical Family Planning Association to collect unwanted fertility devices and Dentaid to collect unwanted dental devices, recondition and distribute them to people in many countries who quite simply cannot afford these instruments. Returning the device you have just purchased or an older device which it replaces can mean it has a new greener future ahead of it in the hands of someone who really needs it.