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How to stop WEEE rules going to waste

The major issue with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive is that IT professionals simply do not know about it (One year on - are the WEEE rules working?, 7 July).

Research we undertook showed that 73 per cent of those working in the IT industry are not aware of the legislation. Many are also not clear on the difference between business and manufacturer responsibility. Without greater awareness, we won't stand a chance of stemming the fastest-growing waste stream in Europe.

A major education process is required - not only on the ways in which machines can be recycled, but also the importance of permanently erasing all sensitive data first, for peace of mind and to prevent it falling into the wrong hands.

This problem needs to be addressed to prevent the directive being consigned to the "too difficult" basket or being regarded as irrelevant.

Phil Bridge, Kroll Ontrack UK

Comments

Thanks for this article Phil.

With the world of compliance is growing faster and bigger than ever before, the regulatory avalanche is becoming a real challenge to overcome for any organization.
Chief Risks Officer and/or Chief Compliance Officer and/or Quality Managers are facing this very challenge every day.
Staying in control of local, national and global regulations really is a prerequisite as opposed to a competitive advantage.
At Compliance and Risks, we deal with this particular issue; the global regulatory avalanche, with particular focus on environmental impacting issues (WEEE, RoHS, REACH).
Our clients, primarily within the electronic sector, have understood the need of a solution that can handle the issues raised in this article and ensure that the last seven bullet points are covered.

Best regards,
Denis Carre d.carre@complianceandrisks.com

Posted by :Denis Carre | July 29, 2008 8:29 AM

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