Waste Management System. Procedure for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) Corporate Procedure: CP-WMS 002 Authorised by: Charlotte Winnert Issue number: Four Date of issue: 28 th April 2011 Purpose To define the University of Sheffield s legal obligations and procedures associated with the disposal of waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE). Scope This procedure applies to all WEEE generated by academic and administrative departments. It does not apply to WEEE generated from the Halls of Residences. Legal framework Environmental Protection Act 1990 Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 Controlled Waste Regulations SI 1992/588 Duty of Care Regulations SI 1991/2839 Landfill Regulations SI 2002/1559 Hazardous Waste Regulations SI 2005/894 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations SI 2006/3315 Waste Management Licensing Regulations SI 1994/1056 Responsibilities Departments and employees responsible for disposing of WEEE in line with the University s policy and this procedure. Recycling Team responsible for collecting WEEE from departments and storing it in line with the waste management licensing exemption prior to collection by the waste contractor for disposal. Procurement Unit responsible for managing contracts for the supply and disposal of computer equipment and the disposal of WEEE. Energy and Environment Team responsible for ensuring legal compliance and compliance to this procedure through regular audits at an organisational level. The Energy and Environment Team also provides advice and support to departments on waste management issues.
Definitions Schedules one and two of the WEEE regulations set out the categories and products that fall under the WEEE regulations. These have been reproduced below. SCHEDULE 1 Categories of EEE covered by these Regulations 1. Large household appliances 6. Electrical and electronic tools** 2. Small household appliances 7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment 3. IT and telecommunications equipment 8. Medical devices*** 4. Consumer equipment 9. Monitoring and control instruments 5. Lighting equipment* 10. Automatic dispensers * Except filament light bulbs and household luminaries ** With the exception of large-scale stationary industrial tools *** With the exception of all implanted and infected products SCHEDULE 2 List of products which fall under the categories in Schedule 1 1. Large household appliances Large cooling appliances; Refrigerators; Freezers; Other large appliances used for refrigeration; conservation and storage of food; Washing machines; Clothes dryers; Dish washing machines; Cooking; Electric stoves; Electric hot plates; 2. Small household appliances Vacuum cleaners; Carpet sweepers; Other appliances for cleaning; Appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing for textiles, Irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing; Grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages; 3. IT and telecommunications equipment Centralised data processing: Mainframes, Minicomputers, Printer units; Personal computing: Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), Laptop computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), Notebook computers, Notepad computers; Printers; Copying equipment; Electrical and electronic typewriters; Pocket and desk calculators; Microwaves; Other large appliances used for cooking and other processing of food; Electric heating appliances; Electric radiators; Other large appliances for heating rooms, beds, seating furniture; Electric fans; Air conditioner appliances; Other fanning, exhaust ventilation and conditioning equipment. Electric knives; Appliances for hair-cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances; Clocks, watches and equipment for the purpose of measuring, indicating or registering time; Scales; Toasters; Fryers. Facsimile; Telex; Telephones; Pay telephones; Cordless telephones; Cellular telephones; Answering systems; Other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by; Telecommunications; Other products and equipment for the collection, storage, processing, presentation or communication of information by electronic means; User terminals and systems. Page 2 of 9
4. Consumer equipment Radio sets; Television sets; Videocameras; Video recorders; Hi-fi recorders; Audio amplifiers; 5. Lighting equipment Luminaires for fluorescent lamps with the exception of luminaries in households; Straight fluorescent lamps; Compact fluorescent lamps; Low pressure sodium lamps; 6. Electrical and electronic tools Drills; Saws; Sewing machines; Equipment for turning, milling, sanding, grinding, sawing, cutting, shearing, drilling, making holes, punching, folding, bending or similar processing of wood, metal and other materials; 7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment Electric trains or car racing sets; Hand-held video game consoles; Video games; Coin slot machines; 8. Medical devices Radiotherapy equipment; Cardiology; Dialysis; Pulmonary ventilators; Nuclear medicine; Laboratory equipment for in-vitro diagnosis; 9. Monitoring and control instruments Smoke detector; Heating regulators; Thermostats; 10. Automatic dispensers Automatic dispensers for hot drinks; Automatic dispensers for hot or cold bottles or cans; Automatic dispensers for solid products; Musical instruments; Other products or equipment for the purpose of recording or reproducing sound or images, including signals or other technologies for the distribution of sound and image than by telecommunications. High intensity discharge lamps, including pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps; Other lighting or equipment for the purpose of spreading or controlling light with the exception of filament bulbs. Tools for riveting, nailing or screwing or removing rivets, nails, screws or similar uses; Tools for welding, soldering or similar use; Equipment for spraying, spreading, dispersing or other treatment of liquid or gaseous substances by other means; Tools for mowing or other gardening activities. Computers for biking, diving, running and rowing; Sports equipment with electric or electronic components; Analysers; Freezers; Fertilization tests; Other appliances for detecting, preventing, monitoring, treating, alleviating illness, injury or disability. Measuring, weighing or adjusting appliances for household or laboratory equipment; Other monitoring and control instruments used in industrial installations (for example, in control panels). Automatic dispensers for money. All appliances which deliver automatically all kind of products. Producer take back schemes and historic WEEE In certain circumstances legislation requires producers to take responsibility for the disposal of their products at the end of its useful life. WEEE can be returned to the producer free of charge under the following circumstances: it was sold after 13 August 2005 or it is being replaced with new equivalent EEE. In these instances the producer s compliance scheme is responsible for the WEEE, in other circumstances WEEE must be sent to an approved authorised treatment facility and the costs of disposal must be coved by the University, this is known as historic WEEE. Note: Producers are expected to adopt a reasonable interpretation of equivalence. For example, a customer should be allowed to return an old video cassette recorder when purchasing a new DVD player/recorder, as even though this is not strictly a like for like replacement, the new product is intended to fulfill the same function. Page 3 of 9
Hazardous waste In some instances WEEE is classed as hazardous waste. Waste is classed as hazardous if it has one or more of the following properties: H1: Explosive H2: Oxidising H3: Flammable and highly flammable H4: Irritant H5: Harmful H6: Toxic or very toxic H7: Carcinogenic H8: Corrosive H9: Infectious H10: Toxic for reproduction H11: Mutagenic H12: Releases toxic gases in contact with water, air or an acid H13: Substances capable, by any means after disposal, of yielding another substances e.g. a leachate which possess any of the characteristics listed above H14: Ecotoxic To determine if a waste is hazardous, reference must be made to the European Waste Catalogue (EWC), which lists many waste types, giving each one a six-digit code. Hazardous wastes (i.e. those with one or more of the properties listed above) are marked in red with an asterisk. The catalogue also identifies mirror entries. Mirror entries have the potential to be either hazardous or non-hazardous depending on their actual composition and the concentrations of dangerous substances within the waste. These are marked in blue. EWC coding for WEEE E 16 02 Waste from electrical and electronic equipment 16 02 09* Transformers and capacitors containing PCBs 16 02 10* Discarded equipment containing or contaminated by PCBs other than those mentioned in 16 02 09 16 02 11* Discarded equipment containing chlorofluorocarbons, HCFC and HFC 16 02 12* Discarded equipment containing free asbestos 16 02 13* Discarded equipment containing hazardous components other than those mentioned in 16 02 09 to 16 02 12 16 02 14 Discarded equipment than those mentioned in 16 02 09 to 16 02 13 16 02 15* Hazardous components removed from discarded equipment 16 02 16 Components removed from discarded equipment other than those mentioned in 16 02 15 16 06 Batteries and accumulators 16 06 01* Lead batteries 16 06 02* Ni-Cd batteries 16 06 03* Mercury containing batteries 16 06 04 Alkaline batteries (except 16 06 03) 16 06 05 Other batteries and accumulators 16 06 06* Separately collected electrolyte from batteries and accumulators 20 01 Separately collected fractions 20 01 21* Fluorescent tubes and other mercury containing waste 20 01 23* Discarded equipment containing chlorofluorocarbons 20 01 33* Batteries and accumulators included in 16 06 01, 16 06 02 or 16 06 03 and unsorted batteries and accumulators containing these batteries 20 01 34 Batteries and accumulators other than those mentioned in 20 01 33 20 01 35* Discarded electrical and electronic equipment other than those mentioned in 20 01 21 and 20 01 23 containing hazardous components 20 01 36 Discarded electrical and electronic equipment other than those mentioned in 20 01 21, 20 01 23 and 20 01 35 Page 4 of 9
Duty of Care All waste is subject to a Duty of Care. The Duty of Care applies to anyone who produces, imports, carries, keeps, treats or disposes of controlled waste. In particular, waste holders have a duty a) to take steps to prevent offences involving waste; and to b) prevent other people from disposing, treating or storing the waste without a licence, in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to health or breaching conditions of their licence. There are also particular requirements placed on those storing and transferring waste. Storage of waste To comply with the Duty of Care Regulations the University must ensure that all waste is stored in such away as to prevent escape or leakage whilst on site, in transit or in storage. The University must act to keep stored waste safe against: 1. corrosion or wear of waste containers; 2. accidental spilling or leaking or inadvertent leaching from waste unprotected from rainfall; 3. accident or weather breaking contained waste open and allowing it to escape; 4. waste blowing away or falling while stored or transported; and 5. scavenging of waste by vandals, thieves, children, trespassers or animals. Transfer notes and written descriptions The Duty of Care regulations require written descriptions and transfer notes to be completed when waste is transferred between two parties. On the transfer of controlled waste, both the University and the waste carrier must complete and sign a transfer note, which must be kept for two years. The transfer note must contain the information given below. 1. the identification of the waste; and its quantity; whether it is loose or in a container; if it is in a container, the type of container; place and time of transfer; the appropriate six-figure code from the European Waste Catalogue. 2. the name and address of the transferor and transferee; 3. whether the transferor is the producer or importer of the waste; 4. if the transferee is authorised for transport purposes, which of those purposes apply; 5. the category of authorised person that the transferee (and the transferor, where applicable) comes under, or which exemption applies and why they are exempt. The description of the waste should mention any special problems and should include the type of premises or business from which the waste comes, the name of the substances, the process that produced the waste, and chemical and physical analysis. Page 5 of 9
Hazardous waste and consignment notes Where hazardous waste is being produced it is a legal requirement for the premises to be notified to the Environment Agency. Upon registration the premises will be issued with a sixfigure premises code, which must be renewed every year. Holders of hazardous waste are also subject to the Duty of Care Regulations and a system of consignment notes. However, the consignment notes fulfil the Duty of Care requirement for a written description to accompany the transfer of waste. Consequently a consignment note is the only document that needs to be completed when hazardous waste is collected for disposal. The consignment note may be completed by the transporter of the waste, however the University must ensure that the waste has been consigned correctly. A consignment note is divided into 5 sections, parts A to E. The University must complete section A of the note which should contain the following information: 1. consignment note code; 2. the address of where the waste was removed from; 3. the Premises Code; 4. details of where the waste will be taken to; and 5. the details of the waste producer was if different from 2. The University should also completes section B of the note which should contain the following information: 1. the process giving rise to the waste(s); 2. the SIC for the process giving rise to the waste; 3. a written description of the waste including: the appropriate six-figure code from the European Waste Catalogue; quantity (kg); the chemical/biological components of the waste and their concentrations are; the physical form of the waste (i.e. gas, liquid, solid, powder, sludge or mixed); the hazard code(s); the container type, number and size; the UN identification number(s); proper shipping name(s), UN Class(es); packing group(s); and details of any special handling requirements. Section C is completed by the waste carrier. This should include the following: 1. carrier name and address; 2. carrier registration number or details of exemption; 3. vehicle registration no (or mode of transport if not road); and 4. the carrier must also sign and date the consignment note. Section D is completed and signed by the University. By signing Part D the consignor is certifying that: all of Parts A, B and C are correct; the carrier is registered or exempt; Page 6 of 9
the carrier was advised of any precautionary measures regarding the collection; all of the waste is packaged and labelled correctly and the carrier has been advised of any special handling requirements Part E is completed by the consignee. The consignee should complete section E and verify that the wastes listed in Part B match the wastes received. The consignee must provide a return to the University to confirm that the waste has reached its final destination. This can either be a copy of the completed consignment note or a copy of the quarterly returns (which waste managers must produce for the Environment Agency). Three copies of the consignment note should be completed one for the consignor i.e. the University, one for the carrier and one for consignee. Consignment notes and returns must be kept for three years. To ensure that consignors provide hazardous waste returns, the University must also keep a Register of Hazardous Waste Consignment. Procedure 1. Determining the correct disposal route and arranging disposal 1.1 Legislation requires waste electronic and electrical equipment to be re-used, recovered or recycled, under no circumstances should departments dispose of WEEE in the general waste bins or skips located around the University. 1.2 The corporate scheme for the disposal of WEEE is responsible for the disposal of computer equipment and historic WEEE. Like for Like WEEE and WEEE purchased after August 2005 must be disposed of using producer compliance schemes. 1.3 Departments are responsible for determining the appropriate method of disposal for unwanted equipment (either the corporate disposal scheme or a producer disposal scheme), using the documents Procedure for the disposal of WEEE (flowchart) and EG - 001 Guidance for the purchase and disposal of WEEE. 1.4 Where the appropriate method of disposal is to use a producer compliance scheme, it is the departments responsibility to contact the appropriate producer and arrange for the collection of the WEEE. 1.5 Where WEEE is classed as hazardous waste departments will need to provide the producer with a premises code. Departments should not allow the producer / supplier to register the premises on behalf of the University instead the Environment Officer should be contacted who will provide the code. 1.6 Where items of WEEE that have been contaminated with hazardous substances, departments must not dispose of them until they have been decontaminated (unless a specialist waste disposal contractor has agreed to dispose of the equipment in its contaminated state). If equipment has been decontaminated, departments must keep records / evidence to demonstrate that the equipment has been decontaminated. 1.7 Departments must ensure that copies of the relevant licences are obtained before any WEEE is collected and that the relevant documentation is kept on file for three years. Relevant documentation includes; Page 7 of 9
1. Details of producer compliance schemes and registration numbers; 2. Copies of any waste carrier s licences, waste brokers licences or waste management licences (for all the contractors used); 3. Copies of waste transfer notes / hazardous waste consignment notes. 1.8 In order to arrange for a collection of historic WEEE or computer equipment by the Recycling Team, departments must complete an E-form. 1.9 Departments must ensure that WEEE is stored inline with the Duty of Care Regulations (see page 5) prior to collection for disposal equipment should be stored inside a building rather than outside. 1.10 The Recycling Team will assess the request for a collection - small amounts of WEEE that require collection will be collected by the Recycling Team within 5 working days. Requests for collections of larger amounts of WEEE will be referred to the Mail and Waste Supervisor who will liaise directly with the department and the waste disposal contractor to arrange collection. If for any reason the collection of WEEE is delayed the Recycling Team will contact the requesting department. 2. Legal compliance and transfer of waste 2.1 Collections of historic WEEE and computer equipment from departments can only be made by Portering Services who have a Waste Carrier s Licence (Number CB/ZE5238ZH). 2.2 It is the responsibility of the Environment Officer to ensure that EFMs Waste Carrier s Licence is renewed every three years in line with legislation. 2.3 The following locations have been registered as exempt from the Waste Management Licensing Regulations with the Environment Agency under S1 and S2 exemptions: North Campus George Porter Building WEEE can only be bulked up / stored at this location prior to collection for disposal by specialist contractor. 2.4 Collections of WEEE items by waste contractors from the WEEE store in the George Porter Building must be made at least every three months (the exemption stipulates that waste must not be stored for more than three months). 2.5 All WEEE must be stored in line with the Duty of Care regulations (see page 5). In addition the exemption stipulates that WEEE must be stored on an impermeable surface, and if stored outside the WEEE must be protected by a weatherproof covering. 2.6 The quantity of waste all stored at any one time at the George Porter Building must not exceed 50 cubic meters. 2.7 The Environment Officer and the Waste and Mail Supervisor will periodically inspect storage areas to ensure that volumes of WEEE stored do not exceed the quantities stated above and when necessary will arrange for a collection by the waste disposal contractors. 2.8 North Campus will be notified to the Environment agency annually as required by the Hazardous Waste Regulation by the Energy and Environment Team. Page 8 of 9
2.9 The corporate contract set up for the collection and disposal of WEEE will be managed by the Purchasing Unit and the Energy Environment Team who are responsible for obtaining copies of Waste Carriers Licences, Waste Management Licences and will periodically audit waste contractors and their sub contractors to establish that they are working within the restrictions of their licences / permits or exemptions 2.10 All WEEE collected from University premises as part of the corporate disposal scheme must be accompanied either by a waste transfer note or a consignment note (see pages 5 and 6 further information). These must be signed by a representative of the University and forwarded to the Energy and Environment Team for filing. 3. Audit 3.1 The procedures used for identifying, storing and disposing of WEEE will be monitored and evaluated on a regular basis. Waste audits will be managed by the Energy and Environment Team and undertaken annually. Feedback will be given to departments and corrective actions will be completed within agreed time scales Associated Documentation EG - 001 Guidance for the purchase and disposal of WEEE Procedure for the Disposal of WEEE (Flowchart) - University of Sheffield S1 and S2 Exemptions - Ref EPR/BE5830NA/A001 Appendices Hazardous waste premises codes spreadsheet Register of Hazardous Waste Consignment Hazardous Waste Consignment Note Waste Transfer Note Page 9 of 9