Recycling computers

Take three tons of old computers. Add some electronic toys, tools and gadgets to the mix and then bung in a few fridges, washing machines and other white goods.

Mix together well and form into one huge sculpture standing seven metres high, which you can see in the picture on the left-hand side of this window.

Believe it or not, just one person could supply the mixture for this sculpture because this is the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment they will get through in a lifetime.

But it is not just the waste we generate; our reliance on these gadgets and gizmos means we consume electricity at an alarming rate.

Politicians have taken action over the alarming growth of potentially hazardous waste produced by the technology industry in the form of a piece of legislation called the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, charmingly shortened to the WEEE Directive.

This law will affect the way that consumers and companies dispose of unwanted or broken electrical goods, and in this feature we will set out the ways you can abide by its worthwhile intentions without undue hassle.

Some companies offer incentives to recycle, so doing your bit could bring its own small reward. We'll also consider how to curb the appetite our gadgets have for energy while still enjoying their full benefit, which saves money on household bills as well as helping to protect the world.

Changing the law
Under the directive, manufacturers and retailers have a legal responsibility for financing the treatment, recycling and recovery of waste electrical goods. The aim is to make sure only a fraction of this waste that currently ends up in landfill is disposed of this way.

Such waste has disturbing undertones. Electrical goods, especially older ones, contain some fearsome elements, including lead and barium. In a single PC, for example, these toxins pose no threat, but when thousands of such devices are buried in landfill sites the risk of the toxins leaking into the water supply become apparent.

There are other effects on communities around the world, linked to poverty and even the funding of wars. You can find out more at Weeeman.org, a website set up to inform people about the urgent need for action.

People are the real challenge when it comes to the success of recycling schemes. This is the overall view of manufacturers and retailers when asked about how they will comply with forthcoming WEEE legislation.