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Are you aware of your legal obligations?There are many issues that govern and determine the disposal process of redundant computer equipment. IT Trading UK Limited works to ensure a guarantee that our service not only meets, but surpasses, the latest UK and EU legislation and directives. Please use the links to the right to find out more about the
main legislation to be aware of.
You need to be aware that your organisation has a Duty of Care to take all reasonable measures to protect the environment. You should be aware that:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/Ukpga_19950025_en_1.htm
Organisations have a duty of care to ensure that waste items are consigned to registered carriers, are properly stored, and disposed of at appropriately licensed facilities. Directors, Managers and other employees who deal with environmental waste matters can all be held accountable and face fines and in severe cases imprisonment if laws are broken. Through our services, organisations can ensure compliance to all aspects of environmental legislation. IT Trading audits waste processors to verify the quality of service and follows guidelines in accordance with ISO 14001 for environmental management, and ISO 9001 on quality management. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1990/Ukpga_19900043_en_1.htm
The Data Protection Act requires that all information collected by an organisation be destroyed when the media on which it is stored becomes redundant. Organisations and individuals within organisations have a duty of care obligation to ensure that the confidential data they hold is not released in an unauthorised or accidental way, particularly data relating to employees or customers. This includes storage media such as hard disk drives.Non-compliance can lead to heavy fines, compensation for individuals whom have suffered unauthorised disclosure of confidential data (section 13 DPA 99), and brand damaging media exposure. This is why we keep equipment under quarantine conditions in our warehouse until the data has been destroyed, and the client has given authority to release the equipment for resale. We data wipe to our clients instructions, and use the latest proprietary software to meet to the standards defined by the Security Equipment Assessment Panel (SEAP), which conforms to all requirements of UK and US Government legislation, including the Data Protection Act 1998. Unlike some of our competitors who just remove data partitions and reformat, I.T. Trading UK Ltd use specialist software to overwrite and fully destroy resident data to render it completely non-recoverable. Any hard disk that fails data wiping, cannot be accessed or is found to be faulty, is removed from the PC and physically destroyed. This ensures complete data security from our client’s point of view. Destroyed hard disks are sent to the licensed metal refiners for recycling. Additional client confidentiality is maintained by removing security / identifying markings and stickers during processing Certificated assurance of data destruction can be provided upon request. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/19980029.htm
New controls on Hazardous Waste came into force in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on July 16th, 2005. These replace the previous "Special Waste regime". In Scotland, "special waste" and "hazardous waste" have the same meaning. A number of waste streams not previously considered to be hazardous, including CRT computer monitors (Cathode Ray Tubes), televisions, fluorescent lighting and end-of-life vehicles are now classified as hazardous. Since July 2005, most producers of hazardous waste in England and Wales have been required to notify their premises to the Environment Agency and register as a waste producer. A waste transfer note for hazardous waste should be issued by the licensed collecting agent at the time of collection. Guidance on notification, including the on-line notification facility, can be found on the Environment Agency's hazardous waste pages. This registration requirement has replaced the need to pre-notify the Environment Agency of Special Waste movements. IT Trading are happy to manage the registration process for our clients as part of our overall service. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si2005/20050894.htm
Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is the fastest growing element in the municipal waste stream. There are many hazardous substances used in IT equipment including lead, cadmium, mercury, bromine compounds and arsenic. The WEEE Directive aims to minimise the impacts of electrical and electronic equipment on the environment during their life times and when they become waste. It applies to a huge spectrum of products. It encourages and sets criteria for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The WEEE Directive came fully into force in the UK in 2007 (see implementation timetable below). Under this Directive anything that requires an electrical current to flow though it to operate has to be recycled in accordance with the standards set out in the Directive. This includes all I.T. equipment. As an example of how this might affect your organisation, any company that disposes of more than 200kg (or 15 CRT monitors put simply) of electrical equipment annually, now has a legal obligation to ensure redundant electronic equipment is disposed of in line with the WEEE Directive legislation. Householders and businesses in the UK throw at least one million
tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) away each
year, and this figure is estimated to be growing by up to 80,000
tonnes annually. The recycling and treatment of EEE is not currently
undertaken to a sufficient extent, so the introduction of the
WEEE Directive is a positive move for the environment. By using IT Trading's services, your organisation can ensure it complies with the WEEE Directives. WEEE Directives Implementation Timetable: 1.. 01/JAN/2007 - WEEE becomes UK law WEEE Directive: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/20063315.htm 2007 Amended WEEE Regulations: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/uksi_20073454_en_1
The 2002 Landfill Directive has set tighter standards on wastes that can go to landfill. These standards are called waste acceptance criteria (WAC) and applied to hazardous waste from July 2005. The WAC set leaching and other limit values that components of the waste stream must meet in order to be accepted at landfill sites. This is in addition to the ban on 'co-disposal' of Hazardous Waste and Non-Hazardous Waste in landfill sites since July 2005. The Environment Agency has noted a reduction in the amount of hazardous waste going to landfill as a result of the Landfill Directive and as such, the legislative framework is driving greater waste minimisation and recovery. The targets defined by the Landfill regulations 2002 are:
IT Trading UK Limited’s computer equipment recycling services can help to enhance your organisations’ environmental credentials by taking redundant, surplus and obsolete items, repairing and remarketing where possible, whilst recovering scrap materials and components for recycling in compliance with all UK and EU legislation. Importantly IT Trading does not have a policy of sending scrap to landfill sites! http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si2002/20021559.htm
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