The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013 require retailers to help customers recycle old electrical equipment when it reaches the end of its useful life. This page explains your options for items you've bought from Elvoras.
Why WEEE matters
Electrical and electronic equipment contains materials that can harm the environment and human health if disposed of incorrectly — including heavy metals, brominated flame retardants and refrigerant gases. Equipment placed in general waste ends up in landfill, where these substances can leach into soil and water. Equipment that is properly recycled is dismantled so that metals, plastics and electronics can be recovered and put back into use, reducing the demand for raw materials and the carbon cost of producing them.
The crossed-out wheelie bin symbol
If a product or its packaging carries the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol (a wheeled bin marked with a black "X"), it falls under the WEEE Regulations and must not be thrown away in your normal household or business waste. The symbol is the universal mark that an item needs to go for separate WEEE collection or recycling instead.
Which products this applies to
As an electronics and computing retailer, almost everything in our catalogue is electrical or electronic equipment and falls under these regulations. The rules apply to anything we sell which is or contains:
- Computers, laptops, tablets and servers
- Monitors and displays
- Networking equipment (e.g. routers, switches, access points)
- Components, drives, storage devices and expansion cards
- Peripherals and accessories (e.g. keyboards, mice, headsets, webcams)
- Cables and electrical connectors sold as standalone items
- Batteries (these are also covered by separate Battery Regulations — see below)
If you're unsure whether a particular item you've bought from us is classed as EEE, look for the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol on the product or its packaging, or contact us and we'll confirm.
How to recycle WEEE from us
1. Use your local council recycling service
Every UK local authority operates one or more Household Waste Recycling Centres ("HWRCs", sometimes still called "the tip") where household WEEE can be deposited free of charge. To find your nearest:
- recyclenow.com — enter your postcode for sites near you
- recyclemore.co.uk — alternative locator covering the same network
Some councils also collect WEEE from the kerbside on request — check your local council's website for what's available in your area.
2. Free take-back when you buy new from us
When you buy a new electrical item from Elvoras, we will take back an equivalent type of old item for recycling at no charge to you (a "like-for-like" exchange). For example, when you buy a new monitor from us, we'll accept your old monitor for recycling.
To arrange a like-for-like take-back:
- Place your order for the new item as normal.
- Contact us via our contact form within 28 days of receiving the new item, quoting your order reference and a brief description of the equivalent old item you want to return.
- We will send you return instructions, including a Freepost label or carrier pickup as appropriate.
The old item must be of broadly equivalent type and quantity to the new item bought. We cannot accept items that are heavily contaminated, leaking, or that have been physically modified in a way that prevents safe handling.
3. Business customers
If you are a business customer, your WEEE obligations are different from those of household consumers. Under the WEEE Regulations, business users of EEE are responsible for arranging and funding the collection, treatment and environmentally-sound disposal of their own waste equipment. You may either:
- Arrange collection through a licensed waste carrier of your choice; or
- Contact us via our contact form to discuss a take-back arrangement on commercial terms.
Batteries
Used batteries (including those removed from EEE items) are covered by the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 and must be recycled separately. Most supermarkets, hardware stores and many of our peers operate free battery collection points; you can also drop batteries at your local HWRC. Do not put used batteries in general waste — damaged lithium-ion cells in particular can ignite during waste handling and have caused serious fires at UK recycling sites.
Our role and registrations
[Producer Compliance Scheme membership and producer registration details to be confirmed.] Where required by the regulations, these details are available on request — contact us.
Questions
If you have any questions about WEEE, recycling an item you've bought from us, or our compliance position, please contact us:
Our contact form
See also our Returns & refunds page for items that are faulty or being returned within the 14-day cancellation window — those are handled under the Terms & conditions of sale rather than the WEEE Regulations.