Most UK companies are unaware of forthcoming European legislation on the recycling of electronic equipment, according to new research. But failure to comply with new laws, due by 2006, could lead to penalty charges for firms.

Recent research from recycling company Mirec indicates an extremely low awareness of the European Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. Eighty-one percent of firms said they knew nothing about the directive, when questioned by Mirec last month, and only four percent were very familiar with the content.

The main targets for the directive are IT and electronic hardware producers, which will be responsible for associated recycling costs. In a statement on the EC's Web site, environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom said, "This will be an important incentive for producers to take the environmental consequences into account when they stand around the design table."

But corporate customers could face fines if they or their hardware suppliers fail to comply with the directive, which is due to be made law by 2006. According to Mirec, if equipment is disposed of outside of the WEEE Directive guidelines, firms may be fined. It is not yet clear whether fines would be directed at the original supplier, the hardware owner or their local council, or all three.

Responsible staff

There is also confusion over which staff should be responsible for complying with the directive. Although the respondents to the survey were those responsible for IT equipment disposal within their organisations, over half said complying with the directive was the responsibility of a different department.

Mirec's survey indicated that many firms must change the way they dispose of IT kit if they want to avoid fines. Almost a third of respondents said they dump electrical equipment in skips.

Morgan Johnson, managing director at Mirec's asset management division, said firms need to start planning their strategies for implementing the code now. He advised companies to get to know the main points of the directive and to find out their suppliers' strategies for compliance. "Most importantly, make sure there's one person who's responsible for (compliance) within the company," he added.

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