Devon Outdoor and Camping Supplies – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations:

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is a UK law introduced in July 2007 with the aim to reduce the amount of waste created by electronic equipment. The amount of WEEE we throw away is increasing by around 5% each year, making it the fastest growing waste stream in the UK.

Much of the UK’s WEEE ends up in landfill, where the lead and other toxins it contains can cause soil and water contamination. This can have a harmful effect on natural habitat, wildlife and also human health.

Many electrical items that we throw away can be repaired or recycled. Recycling items helps to save our natural finite resources and also reduces the environmental and health risks associated with sending electrical goods to landfill. The introduction of these regulations mean that manufacturers of electrical equipment now need to pay for the collection, treatment and recovery of waste electrical equipment and that the suppliers of equipment, like high street shops and internet retailers, are now able to allow customers to return their waste equipment free of charge to have it collected.

So as an example, if a customer bought a new low wattage toaster from us we would accept their old low wattage toaster and prevent it going into a landfill site by disposing of it safely.

How to return your WEEE: Customers must return their WEEE item to us within 28 days of purchasing their new item. If you wish to return your WEEE item, please contact us by email at [email protected]

Under the WEEE regulations, all new electrical goods that fall under these regulations will be marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol.

Waste Battery and Accumulator Regulations

The majority of batteries in the UK are thrown away and end up in landfill where they can leak harmful chemicals into the soil. 22,000 tonnes of batteries ended up in landfill last year – this equates to the weight of over 3,000 elephants.

Recycling facilities for batteries are available at our store, we will then dispose of the returned batteries via the Battery Compliance Scheme. Please do not post batteries back to mail order.