The Environmental Protection Act (1990), Section 34:
Duty of care and The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991
Section 34 of the Act imposes a duty of care on any person or organisation that imports, produces, carries, keeps, treats or disposes of waste to ensure that there is no unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal of the waste. The disposal of end of life ICT equipment is be governed by these regulations.
Hazardous Waste Regulations (2005)
The Regulations define hazardous waste and the procedure to be followed by producers and collectors of hazardous waste.
Some ICT equipment (e.g. monitors containing a cathode ray tube, batteries found in notebook computers and uninterruptable power supplies) is classified as hazardous waste when it is discarded and, therefore, is covered by these regulations.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (2006)
These regulations implement one of a small number of European Directives which implement the principle of 'extended producer responsibility'. Under this principle, and specifically the parts of the regulations referring to non-household waste electrical and electronic equipment, producers and even owners can be responsible for meeting the costs of collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of electrical and electronic equipment that becomes waste. The regulations also set standards for treatment and minimum recycling rates.
Waste Management Licensing Regulations (1994) as amended
Controlled Waste Regulations (1991)
DOT-COMmunICaTions is registered with the Environment Agency as a registered professional dealer/broker/collector of controlled waste and in the Register of Exemptions from Waste Management Licensing in accordance with the above legislation under paragraphs 40 and 41.
Our environmental practices are accredited by the Regional Electronics Initiative and the Microsoft Registered Community Refurbisher programme.
Data Protection Act (1998)
The Data Protection Act requires anyone who handles personal information to ensure that the handling of personal information complies with 8 essential principles: fairly and lawfully processed; processed for limited purposes; adequate, relevant and not excessive; accurate and up to date; not kept for longer than is necessary; processed in line with your rights; secure; and not transferred to other countries without adequate protection.
DOT-COMmunICaTions, through its parent organisation, is a Registered Data Controller.
Computer Misuse Act (1990
Human Rights Act (1998)
Freedom of Information Act (2000)
Our Data Security procedures are accredited by the Regional Electronics Initiative and the Microsoft Registered Community Refurbisher programme.
Our data deletion procedures are compliant with the DoD 5220.22-M standards and passed confidential and top secret standards and accredited as HMG InfoSec-approved by the Communications Electronics Security Group – the United Kingdom’s government information technology security regulators to HMG Infosec Standard No: 5 (enhanced). These are acknowledged throughout the world as the most secure standards possible.
The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
The Regulations cover the sale of second hand equipment and are therefore relevant for the disposal of ICT equipment – 'Whilst there is no mandatory requirement for second-hand equipment to undergo any safety testing, a supplier is required to supply only equipment that is safe so as to avoid the committing of an offence under the Regulations.'
All our equipment for resale undergoes rigorous Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) by our qualified staff, ensuring it complies fully with all electrical safety and resale requirements and meeting all the necessary legal and technical criteria demanded by UK Health and Safety Laws.
You need to know that our computer disposal processes are always ethical and you can trust us to help you achieve WEEE compliance.
Although one in every 12 computers in use around the world is second-hand, there will always be computers that have come to the end of their life. The disposal of computers need to be handled in a secure, environmentally-friendly and responsible way.
This is why if any equipment is unable to be reused, once we have erased all data, we will arrange for either ourselves or one of our approved I.T. disposal partners throughout the UK to thoroughly dismantle and recycle it in line with the obligations set out in the WEEE legislation. This ensures your WEEE compliance whilst achieving your I.T. equipment disposal needs.
However, it's not just data security standards you need to check when you look for an I.C.T. recycling specialist; it's their environmental credentials, and our honest, ethical approach to computer disposal speaks for itself.
From our site in Calderdale, we recycle and refurbish redundant or unwanted I.T. equipment to ensure that minimal waste material enters the waste stream. Our recycling methods exceed current environmental legislation. We prioritise local, sustainable approaches to reuse and recycling.
We provide a 'One Stop Shop' approach that combines computer refurbishment, recycling and I.T. disposal processes.
Our approach ensures we oversee every activity from assessing potential for reuse, through comprehensive asset tracking, to the safe disposal of computer equipment via our partners. This approach makes real sense, not only from a financial prospective by assuring added value, but also from a data security viewpoint as you are guaranteed that the same high standards will be applied at every stage of the computer recycling process.
Our systems comply with the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Standard (ISO15000) and the Information Security Management System (ISMS) Standard (ISO 27001), as well as Best Practice Incident Management Processes and Quality Assurance practices based on ISO 9001 principles.
