What is WEEE? The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive(the WEEE Directive) is a European Directive which was introduced with a view to minimising the impact of WEEE on the environment, by increasing re-use and recycling  and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill. The Directive was later recognised in the UK legislation, which came into force on the 2nd of January 2007.

All the private householders need to know the potential effects on the environment and on the human health as a result of the presence of hazardous substances in EEE – all these details are in the technical specs of each EEE device. Please make sure you read these specs and are aware of what both the benefits and the dangers are. SparksDirect is a responsible distributor of electrical items which include EEE devices, and all the EEE devices/accessories that you purchase through sparksdirect.co.uk or in store in Archway, London, are now marked with a crossed out wheeled bin symbol. This symbol aims to remind customers to dispose of WEEE items separately form their normal household waste. Also, if you need more information about the recycling / re-using / disposing of the EEE marked items, do not hesitate to contact us. You can also find out more information about the WEEE marked items and SparksDirect’s Policy – via our Terms & Conditions page.

The key effect of the legislation for B2C(business to consumers) distributors of electrical and electronic equipment is the fact that from the 1st of July 2007 we have been required to have processes in place to allow household consumers purchasing (EEE) to return their WEEE, and this should be free of charge in-store. An internet retailer also needs to offer a route to householders to return their WEEE for recycling – this can be done by offering free take back or by joining a Distributor Take-Back Scheme. The WEEE Regulations apply to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) which currently falls under the 10 product categories listed in the WEEE Directive:

1. Large household appliances.
2. Small household appliances.
3. IT & Telecommunications equipment.
4. Consumer equipment.
5. Lighting equipment.
6. Electrical and electronic tools.
7. Toys leisure and sports equipment.
8. Medical devices.
9. Monitoring and control instruments.
10. Automatic dispensers.

Included in this list and also present on our website are also:

• Electric radiators, Electric fans, Air conditioner appliances, Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment;
• Telephones, Answering systems, Other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by telecommunications; Videocameras;
• Lighting equipment: Luminaires for fluorescent lamps with the exception of luminaires in households; Straight fluorescent lamps; Compact fluorescent lamps; High intensity discharge lamps, including pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps; Low pressure sodium lamps; Other lighting or equipment for the purpose of spreading or controlling light with the exception of filament bulbs;
• Monitoring and control instruments: Smoke detector; Heating regulators; Thermostats.

SparksDirect.co.uk and the WEEE Directive

In order to comply to the WEEE Directives, as an internet retailer that distributes many kinds of electrical devices and accessories, SparksDirect.co.uk would like to inform its visitors and customers of the responsibility of everyone who wants to purchase any (EEE) Device:

• The private householders – non-commercial persons who purchase items from our website/our company for personal use – can (but don’t have to) return their WEEE to us either in store or by courier/mail.
• Everyone who purchases a new (EEE) device can return one-for-one the old-for-new device to SparksDirect Like-for-like WEEE items – products from the same range can be considered like-for-like products, e.g. Aico Ei141 and Aico Ei161RC are similar, but not Aico Ei141 and a light fitting.
• After you purchase any WEEE device, you can send us your old WEEE device in maximum 28 days(after you have let us known first and we have approved this).
• In-store take back – if you come and purchase in-store devices under the (EEE), we offer to take the old device when you purchase the new one.

On our website, you will find information at the specific sections of the website which EEE devices – indicating the possibility of sending us your old EEE device when buying a new one. Some of these sections (in a general way) where you can find EEE devices on our website are:

• Lights;
• Electrical Items:
  - Audio Door Entry Systems;
  - Video Door Entry Systems;
  - Intercoms;
  - Lamps / Tubes;
• Heating and ventilation;
• Fire and security;

More information on this subject online:

• The WEEE Regulations 2006 (original version);
• The WEEE Regulations 2006 (amended version);
• The EC Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE);
• The WEEE regulations(via Valpak);
• Europe Directives / Legislation on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment;