Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment- Registration of the UK

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Requirement

WEEE registration of the UK

Solution

Historical Background-WEEE

WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. WEEE is a complex combination of the materials and parts that contain harmful content and it can cause major environmental and health problems if they are not properly managed. The First WEEE directive is established in 2003 in the Month of February. The aim of this directive is to create collection schemes where consumers give it back to their WEEE free of cost. These schemes are provided to increase the re-use and recycling of WEEE. The European commission decided to amend the directive in December 2008 in order to handle the increasing number of waste streams.
The new Directive comes to effective on 14 February 2014. There are two legislations  that put together to address the problems  - WEEE directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment and another one is the RoHS directive on the restriction of the use of certain harmful substances in electrical and electronic equipment. RoHS directive established in February 2003 that restricting the use of harmful material in electrical equipment and this legislation needs heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium to be replaced by safer alternatives. For the compliance to the WEEE directive, the manufacturer became responsible for this and if they fail to compliance, then they are eligible to prosecution. The aim of these directives is to encourage recycling, reuse and development of the electronic parts which are more environmentally friendly products. A WEEE regulation in the UK is regulated by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and also works in partnership with the administrations (Commission, 2016). All the authorized treatment facilities are taken care by the department of Environment food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and all the Environment Agencies are the enforcement agencies with regard to the producer responsibilities.

Aim of WEEE Directive

The uses of scarce and expensive resources are needed for the production of modern electronics. The Environmental management of WEEE can be improved by contributing in economy and enhancing efficiency of resource (Government, 2016). The aim of this WEEE directive is defined below in some points: -

• Reducing the waste coming out of the electrical and electronic equipment

• Improving the environmental performance  of electronic products

• Provide benefits to the consumers as well as professional

• Private householders will be able to give back fee collected for their WEEE facilities and provide their services to the clients  free of cost;

• To give the responsibility to the Producers for taking back and recycling electrical and electronic equipment.

• To achieve the recycling and recovery targets by the Producers for different categories (plc, 2016).

Registration of WEEE

It is very necessary to register by the producers in the EU country. A product cannot be placed on the EU Market without the WEEE registration. Producers need to follow some rules and regulations like:-

• The annual registration fee is to be paid by the producers to the appropriate agencies.

• All the WEEE compliance schemes, as well as the producers, are required to report the data on the amount of EEE that they put into the market.

• Producers always need to report this data every year to the agencies and if they do not do this then it will be offense (Sander, et al., 2007).

Benefits of WEEE

Producers are going to work on new technical and administrative tasks and these tasks can be performed very well if you have required specialized knowledge and also have the financial sources. There is always an external service provider who is taking care of all the tasks. WEEE is not only the recycling of electrical and electronic equipment, it involves far more than that.
Producer compliance schemes pay attention to the overall practical execution of the take-back obligation (Environment Media Group, 2015). WEEE offers a cost-effective approach for producers. Producers are always sorting out the collection and dealing out of WEEE with regard to legal provisions, producers gave all the required data to all the shareholders and giving a proper report to all the agencies, distributors, and all other who are involved in the implementation of the legislation, and all the producers control the outcomes set down in legislation (Babu, Parande, & Basha, 2007).
The scheme controls the collection of WEEE to help the producers only for business products and to pay for the supply of new products. Another benefit of the compliance scheme is to inform and educate the consumers and encourage government agencies to control and monitoring the outcomes.
In addition, the producer compliance schemes inform and educate consumers, and support the governments in monitoring the results.  Lastly, these help in throwing the information to the public on the efforts that need to be made by the clients, the manufacturers of the electrical equipment (Forum, 2016). 

Hazards of WEEE 

In spite of the benefits, the disadvantages of WEEE are also there. A huge variety of equipment’s used at the time of WEEE recycling plants because these materials are treated for all the task of crushing, grinding, etc. it is very difficult to handle it manually because some of WEEE can be heavy in nature for example fridges and freezers. It is very risky to use items like knives to remove sharp edges on items as they are being dismantled, or if broken. Another Hazard is the electrical issues in WEEE and it is very dangerous for producers. Fire and explosion risks are involved in WEEE as the equipment like the fridge and freezer they contain some hydrocarbons and ammonia and they are used as a material of packaging. But these dangerous gases leads to the explosion or fire while recycling the waste materials (European Union, 2012).

Factors influencing the legislation or policy

The key elements that need to be considered while examining the legislations or policies are scope of product, collection targets, Historic versus New WEEE, producer marketing and brand identification, etc.
1.    Political and legal issues: -
Businesses while working cannot ignore the political factors and it is to be taken into account very carefully. For example, in recent trends, in order to help the private sector grow, the government is lowering down the jobs in the government sector. These factors evaluate the extent to which a certain market may be influenced by government. So, the government policies followed in the UK need to be assessed to introduce the product and to be compared with the government policies followed in WEEE to enhance the compatibility. 
Legal factors cover both aspects including external as well as external. The laws of the country in which the company is going to launch its product should be comprehensively studied to avoid any kind of misconceptions later on. The compatibility of laws of the UK and WEEE must be evaluated and then the strategies should be made out in the light of such laws (Jacobson & Parmet, 2016).
2.   Socio-cultural issues: -
It includes the scrutiny of social environment and includes factors such as demographics, cultural trends, analysis of population etc. For the people of the UK, what matters to them most is not the product, but the result or outcome of the product. The culture of UK is different from all other countries and it is important to observe the culture of all the people before targeting the electrical equipment’s.
3.   Financial Guarantee: -
Finance expenditure is the major factor that influencing the legislation by taking support from Private Households for new WEEE. Producers always need to arrange money for the costs of waste of their own products. Producers also have the other option to choose to accomplish their obligations as they are not pressurized to spend their money (Guojun, 2011).
The compliance scheme is considered as an appropriate guarantee for new WEEE as per most member states.
4.   Distance Sellers: -  
Distance sellers are required to be kept in mind while implementing the schemes as distance sellers has the equal right to apply for the products. As per the Nordic council of ministers, two approaches are found that member state follows while tackling with the registration of distance sellers. These two approaches are defined below: -

• •   Approach 1: The distance seller must be registered with the member state where it will be easy for the companies to sale its EEE to the final users 

• •   Approach 2: After the process of registration with the member states, it’s very important to give proper reporting about the quantity of products that are delivered to end user in the member state where the users are situated.

5.   Information to consumers: -
The clarity of the information to customers is very significant before implementing the policy and it is required that the WEEE directive provides the authentic information. This information must contain some guidelines like not to dispose off their waste material and collect a such  WEEE material separately as a result of which helps to improve the environment performance by recycling these electrical equipment’s.  

Impact of legislation or policy on businesses

There are various great opportunities for small scale businesses in developed and developing countries. Exports and imports in developed and developing countries may be suitable for aid finance and imports may be beneficial for producers under the compliance scheme of recycling of products. Small businesses can also trade with developing countries as subcontractors to larger businesses. As we all know UK is a developed economy and it is growing faster. The impact of these policies on international business treaties has benefitted the export and import trade. 

UK’s Compliance policies

• 1.    Tariff: - UK is a part of Europe and the tariff is collected for the recycling of the electrical equipment’s by the European community. They have generated a new system which they call Binding Tariff Information (BTI) system and this promotes the authenticity. 

• 2.    Non-tariff: - This is not however beneficial and on the other hand, put restrictions and creates barriers. In order to recycle certain products, a license is mandatory, for example electrical products, machinery etc.

• 3.    Product packaging and certification: - The  compliance scheme in the UK makes sure that the product is properly packed  by the producers and certified  by the government as it will make the whole system full proof and is eventually beneficial for all the agencies.

• 4.    Documentary requirements: - In order to recycle the product in UK, producers must have registered with the Environment agencies and all the required documents are to be submitted first and then the process can be initiated. This enhances reliability (Popescu, 2015). 

Assessment of the legislation or policy

With the innovation of Recycling of the electrical materials, one can avoid wasting money, time, and other business resources. A policy related to WEEE will help producers to organize their research and planning, hold the clients demands and expectations, and accurately make planning regarding the Task. The compliance scheme will also help you avoid overestimating and misreading your target market, launching of material used for making a quality product, or a product that doesn't meet the needs of your target customers, incorrectly pricing products, spending resources you don't have on higher-than-anticipated development costs, exposing your business to risks and threats from unexpected competition.
There is a need to allow sufficient time to make and execute the compliance schemes with regard to the electrical items. Certain objectives should be set beforehand to develop the legislation and hit it in the market and while setting out the objectives, following should be kept in mind. Some of the objectives are defined below in the form of points: -

• The objective to compete against your competition will require more efficiency and efficacy from your team members.

• Your objective to achieve an environmental performance by the process of recycling as per the demand of for such products during the time when it is introduced. 

• The objective to get the financial support for setting out research to make sure that the policy or scheme is developed at the right time (Consulting, 2008). 

There are several important steps you will need to plan. Introducing new safer alternatives for the recycling process in the market involves a huge expenditure. The products in all the fields involve infrastructure and installation of various equipments in the production houses and other equipments required for the practical work. 
Policy development is a two-way process. The first step is the market research. One requires involving analysis to segment the market and determine in what areas the product is to be launched. A segment is simply a small piece of an overall market. The market can be segmented on the basis of various aspects, for example, geographic, demographic, psychographic and other product lines. Once the markets are determined, the next step is developing policies to promote the scheme in order to reduce the waste material in the market. Many organizations have changed themselves into Internet retailers from high class retailers. As a producer one need to analyze what could be the financial problems, promotional techniques or other varied problems that can come up before actually recycling the product to customers in the market.
This could include the training the employees so that they can handle the promotional events and other promotional techniques properly and without any complications. Now, the online promotions are very famous and expertise is especially appointed to promote the product through such medium. It is required to analyze the changes which the organization is facing or will face in the future and what can be done to avoid or cope up with such changes. 

Recommendations

It is recommended that the investors should invest in every field, be it sciences, aviation, textiles etc. It is very important to realize the importance of high GDP around the whole world because only a prosperous country helps the nation rise. More and more people will visit those countries which are peaceful and prosperous and where conflicts are at bay. This has even helped the electrical sector of UK to excel. UK is quite welcoming to all its investors provided they give fruitful results to the people of the UK.

• Trade agreements with the UK: -There was a time when the economy of the UK did not exist visibly, but now the time has come that the country is performing very well and adding to the economy of the country as well as world because of the easy and convenient trade arrangements in the UK. It is striving every day and making its best efforts to fetch good business and provide the best facilities to its residents and due to its continuous efforts has made the country livable.  The country has a huge network of ports and airports and the most travelled one among all the countries in the world. The network is extensive one and it is well maintained due to which there have never been many problems. The airports were privatized in 1998 except one of the airports. The process of privatization proved to be beneficial for the country. The ports charge reasonable duties and support the trading activities and same is the case when it comes to airports.

• Documentation and tariff to be paid by Europeans: - It is a hub of global business and considered to be the place where different people around the globe meet to improve the economy of the world. The EU is making continuous efforts to come at par with New York’s Wall Street. In order to do that, it is considered imperative by Europeans that all the essential requirements should be fulfilled. So the documents are given priorities, the excise duties, the custom duties are sufficiently paid.

• Foreign investment: - When it comes to foreign investment and active and passive investors, it is important to analyze the economic factors as they affect the market in the long term. For instance a rise in the inflation rate of the economy may affect the manner in which the company sets the prices of its products. So the economic trends in UK and UAE must be evaluated so as to save themselves from losses. Changes in economic trends may have an adverse impact on the purchasing power of the people of both the countries. Economic factors cover in its ambit the interest rates, growth patterns of economy, foreign exchange rates etc. 

Conclusion

After doing the evaluation of emerging global trends and his major strategic directions exhibit his understanding of the internal and external opportunities and threats and strengths and weaknesses. Technical leadership roles have proved to be not only an origin WEEE effective competitive advantage, but it is also a very significant hampering aspect to entry. For example, WEEE is the only mixture of the waste material that needs to be re-used or recycle with the safer alternatives in the electrical equipment’s in the UK. The government has all the essential abilities to establish a nuclear power plant. It has also built in important switching costs through heavy and advanced technology. In the healthcare sector, through its R&D abilities, it has made a strong and the qualitative leadership position in advanced health sciences. By analyzing the strengths and weaknesses and threats and opportunities, it is imperative to work on them and make the company more progressive by recycling all he wasted material and utilize that material for the healthy environment.

References

• Babu, B., Parande, A., & Basha, C. (2007, August). Electrical and electronic waste: a global environmental problem. SAGE Journal, 25(4), 307-318 . Retrieved from http://wmr.sagepub.com/content/25/4/307.abstract

• Commission, E. (2016). Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE): History of the WEEE Recast. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/history_en.htm

• Consulting, W. (2008). Brief introduction of directive 2002/96/EC of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Retrieved from http://www.weeeregistration.com/weee-directive.html

• Environment Media Group . (2015). Questions over ‘consumer benefit’ of WEEE regulations. Retrieved from http://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/questions-over-consumer-benefit-of-weee-regs/

• European Union. (2012, July 12). Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Official Journal of the European Union, 1-34. Retrieved from http://www.conformance.co.uk/directives/full_text/l_19720120724en00380071_bookmarked.pdf

• Forum, W. (2016). Benefits of joining a producer compliance schemeWEEE Forum. Retrieved from http://www.weee-forum.org/benefits-of-joining-a-producer-compliance-scheme

• Government, U. (2016). Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Purpose of the directive. Retrieved from https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee

• Guojun, J. (2011). Effective Implementation of WEEE Take-back Directive: What Types of Take-back Network Patterns in China. Systems Engineering Procedia , 2, 366-381. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211381911001408

• Jacobson, P., & Parmet, W. (2016, December). Themed Issue: Perspectives on the Development of Population Health Law. Journal of health politics, policy and law, 41(6). Retrieved from http://jhppl.dukejournals.org/content/current

• plc, I. G. (2016). WEEE Directive Registration Services. Retrieved from http://www.intertek.com: http://www.intertek.com/weee/registration/

• Popescu, M. (2015, May). Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management in Romania. Harmonizing National Environmental Law with the UE Legislation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences , 188, 264-269. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815021825

• Sander, K., Schilling, S., Tojo, N., Rossem, C., Vernon, J., & George, C. (2007). The Producer Responsibility Principle of the WEEE Directive. Institute for Environmental Strategies. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/pdf/final_rep_okopol.pdf?bcsi_scan_f5761508bdf24bd5=0&bcsi_scan_filename=final_rep_okopol.pdf