Who should use this guidance
This guidance is for:
- the reuse and recycling sector, for whom the guidelines list the minimum expected standards of operation, as well as sources of further information and advice
- users of recycling services (for example, businesses, councils, government and product stewardship organisations), who can use the guidance to help with purchasing and managing recycling services.
Who deals with WEEE?
The companies responsible for collecting and treating WEEE are a mix of:
- existing recyclers, waste disposal companies, and scrap metal merchants, who are well established in traditional metals processing, recycling and waste disposal but have not necessarily dealt with WEEE as a specific and separate waste stream
- new entrants, particularly in the reuse and dismantling sector, including those diversifying from a complementary business activity (eg, remarketers of IT equipment), and community organisations with social aims such as refurbishing equipment for redistribution to lower-income families and community groups
- the persons identified in a product stewardship scheme. This includes producers, resellers, distributors, retailers, collectors, recyclers and the disposer, whether that is a business or a consumer
- agents, brokers or other third parties in the product life cycle.
The disposal chain includes both New Zealand-based operators who carry out the collection and preliminary treatment of WEEE, and overseas operators who carry out further reprocessing of material.
Last updated:15 March 2011
