back to article Small tech firms say green regs WEEEly unfair

Small IT retailers are footing an unfairly large chunk of the bill for the UK government's much-delayed regulations for disposing of junked electronic kit, a trade group has claimed. The UK government's implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive is "fundamentally flawed", according to the …

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  1. SImon Hobson Bronze badge

    We simply stopped selling to consumers !

    I work for a small IT services company, and most of our clients are businesses. Our response to the apparently open-ended liabilities and compulsory registration fees has been to simply stop selling to consumers - it's just not worth the financial risk.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Rules don't work for the little companies

    The new rules take into consideration the companies turn over rather than the amount which is produced.

    As an IT consultant, its 'me, my skills and knowledge' that people that people pay for, yet last year I 'produced' 22 computers and sold various hard drives, routers and TFT screens to replace failed items. However this acutally accounted for less than 2% of my total turn over , yet I have to fork out £500 to be registered on a scheme just to 'resell', or £1000 if I build 1 computer.

    Needless to say, I am now a reseller only, so the big US companies, DELL, HP, Toshiba etc., will end up making more profit. Why? because I and possibly other system builders will no longer buy from UK distributors.

    I suspect that some system builders, whether selling in newspapers or on ebay will not register because they will simply claim its used equipment.

    If you read the WEEE directive to the letter, every shop, garage, market stall, in fact anyone that even sells a lightbulb or battery has to be registered because if it uses electricity, you need a license to sell it.

    Its all gone mad.

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