Every year in the UK, households throw away around 1 million tonnes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) such as TVs, fridges, hairdryers and computers.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive aims to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment, by increasing reuse and recycling and reducing the amount of WEEE going to landfill. It seeks to achieve this by making producers responsible for financing the collection, treatment, and recovery of waste electrical equipment, and by obliging distributors to allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge. Householders have no obligations under the Regulations but can help to recycle these goods.
The WEEE Regulations apply to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) which falls within the 10 product categories listed in the WEEE Directive:-
Large household appliances
Small household appliances
IT & Telecommunications equipment
Consumer equipment
Lighting equipment
Electrical and electronic tools
Toys, leisure and sports equipment
Medical devices
Monitoring and control instruments
Automatic dispensers
Although the WEEE Directive was agreed in 2003, the UK Regulations implementing it were brought into force in January 2007. There is now an established network of take back schemes either by the companies themselves who are selling the products, via the Household Waste Recycling Centres or other compliance schemes. Visit Recycle Now 
to see where you can take your old electrical items for recycling.