Computer Remarketing Services says that the government should be doing more to ensure that companies fully understand the implications of the WEEE Directive, which comes into force in July.
The legislation, which could lead to unlimited fines and possible criminal prosecution for company directors, has left many businesses confused as to what their responsibilities will be when disposing of surplus electronic equipment.
Current guidelines show that it will affect manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, resellers and the end-users.
Under the legislation, business users will be held accountable if WEEE is not managed correctly.
The Environment Agency and DEFRA will pursue the person who last used the equipment not just the person who carried out any illegal dumping.
The government’s approach has been that business users will know what to do when it comes to compliance i.e. organisations should know how to interpret the regulations and therefore do whatever is right.
CRS operate from a 10,000 sq ft facility in Milton Keynes where it processes, remarkets or disposes of thousands of systems each year.
The company holds ISO9001-2000 quality standard approval from the British Standards Institute and in 2003 CRS obtained Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling accreditation for the refurbishment of IT equipment.
Its new service provides companies with simple, free-of-charge digestible information on the WEEE Directive. Businesses can access updated information through the CRS website or subscribe to a free newsletter for regular updates. More in-depth information is available for a fee, said managing director Terry Maguire.
He added: "More should be done by the government to ensure that companies really appreciate the implications of the WEEE Directive.
"It is great to encourage re-use but it is imperative that everyone understands the basics of the scheme to ensure that businesses here do not face the kind of unprecedented court-imposed fines recently levied on Boots Retail (Ireland), where the scheme has been in place for a year."
The WEEE consultation service is available to all companies who register on www.crs-uk.biz.
CRS has in-depth knowledge and business expertise gained through working in the IT remarketing and recycling industry for more than 27 years.
CRS regularly attends and contributes to the Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling meeting on the WEEE legislation, and the WEEE Advisory Group meetings along with the DTI and Defra.
