HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE

How to hire a WEEE disposal firm in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A WEEE disposal firm must be a registered waste carrier. Wipe your data first, and ask the retailer about free take-back.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a WEEE disposal firm in five steps

  1. Wipe your dataPhones, laptops and drives: factory reset or ask for certified wiping.
  2. Ask the retailerBuying a replacement? Free take-back of the old item is a legal duty.
  3. Check the carrier numberBefore anything is collected.
  4. Separate batteriesLoose batteries are hazardous waste.
  5. Keep the receiptWith the items listed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Waste carrier registration

Every nation requires a business that carries other people's waste to register: the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland and DAERA in Northern Ireland. In England a WEEE disposal firm needs an upper-tier registration, renewed every three years, with a number starting CBDU.

Search the number, name or postcode on the public register before anything is loaded. environment.data.gov.uk →

Your duty of care

Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires a householder in England or Wales to take reasonable steps to give waste only to an authorised person; Scotland has its own version. In England a council can issue a fixed penalty of £150 to £600 to a householder who fails it — even if it was the WEEE disposal firm who dumped it.

Keep a photo of the carrier registration, the vehicle registration and a receipt with the business's details. legislation.gov.uk →

Hazardous items

Gov.uk lists asbestos, chemicals, batteries, solvents, pesticides, oils and equipment containing ozone-depleting substances such as fridges as examples of hazardous waste, which has its own rules; in England the Environment Agency regulates it. Batteries and some screens and appliances are handled separately.

List anything hazardous to the WEEE disposal firm before the quote, and ask how each is dealt with. gov.uk →

Retailer take-back (WEEE)

The 2013 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations require a retailer selling new electrical equipment to offer customers a free way to dispose of the old item of the same type.

Ask the shop about its take-back service before paying for a WEEE collection. gov.uk →

VAT

Collecting and recycling electricals is standard-rated, so a registered WEEE disposal firm adds 20% to the collection price and to data wiping or destruction. Registration becomes compulsory once a WEEE disposal firm has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the WEEE disposal firm for the VAT number with the carrier number and for collection, data destruction and VAT shown apart. gov.uk →

“What is your waste carrier number?”

A good answer: A number to check against the WEEE disposal firm's name.

“What happens to data on my devices?”

A good answer: Wiped to a stated method, or drives destroyed, with a certificate if you need one.

“Where do the electricals go?”

A good answer: A WEEE treatment site, named.

“Do you reuse working items?”

A good answer: Some are refurbished; ask what happens to data first.

“How are batteries handled?”

A good answer: Kept separate as hazardous waste.

“Is the price per item?”

A good answer: Written, per item or per load.

“Will I get a receipt listing the items?”

A good answer: Yes.

Getting the quote right

  • Items listed and price
  • Who actually attends the collection: the WEEE disposal firm's employed crew, or a subcontracted carrier or treatment facility
  • Data wiping or destruction method
  • Collection
  • Carrier number
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the collection and data destruction

Walk away if

  • No carrier number
  • No answer on data
  • A cash price with no receipt
  • Laptops resold with data intact
LOW
£10
TYPICAL
£19
HIGH
£60

What a WEEE disposal firm costs: £10–£60 per item

Electronics disposal is priced per item or per load; the item type, data wiping and collection set the price. WEEE / Electronics Disposal price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

WEEE disposal firms near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ListItems listed, data plan agreed.
  2. CollectLoaded by a registered carrier.
  3. SeparateBatteries and hazardous items separated.
  4. Wipe or destroyData handled as agreed.
  5. TreatTaken to a WEEE treatment site.

WEEE
Waste electrical and electronic equipment.
Take-back
A retailer's duty to accept your old item when you buy new.
Data wiping
Overwriting a drive so data cannot be recovered.
Hazardous waste
Waste, such as batteries, with stricter rules.
Treatment site
A facility that recycles electricals.
Waste carrier number
Registration to carry waste.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receipt and any data certificateProof of where the devices went.
Close accountsSign out of cloud accounts on old devices.
Recycle the restCouncil recycling for small items.
Tell others how it wentA short, specific review of the WEEE disposal firm — what was done, on time or not, the clean-up — helps the next person. Problems go through make-it-right first.

STEP 1A written complaintEmail or message the WEEE disposal firm with what is wrong with the collection, photos and the remedy you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you repeat performance first, then a reduction in price if that fails.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for the WEEE disposal firm goes to them first if you say so, and we chase the reply. Then you review.
STEP 3Fly-tipping or an unregistered carrierIf waste the WEEE disposal firm took turns up dumped, report it to the council and the regulator — the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or DAERA — with your receipt and their number. The consumer helplines pass complaints to Trading Standards: Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) for England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) for Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Going to courtClaims of up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland and £5,000 in Northern Ireland against a WEEE disposal firm go through the small-claims routes, built for people without a solicitor.

Hiring a WEEE disposal firm: questions people ask

It needs to be a registered waste carrier: with the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland or DAERA in Northern Ireland. Check the number on the public register before booking.

The WEEE regulations require the retailer to offer a free way to dispose of the old item of the same type.

Most pay around £19 out of a range of £10–£60 an item. For what moves the figure, see the WEEE / Electronics Disposal price guide; for local WEEE disposal firms, search above.

Gov.uk lists batteries among examples of hazardous waste.

Wipe or reset devices first, or ask for certified wiping or destruction.

In England and Wales a householder does not need one for household waste; the receipt and carrier number are your record. In Northern Ireland DAERA advises asking for one, and a business must complete one for each load.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in removals & storage

How to hire: Appliance DisposalHow to hire: Office ClearanceHow to hire: Junk & Rubbish RemovalHow to hire: House ClearanceHow to hire: Furniture DisposalHow to hire: Garage ClearanceHow to hire: Man with a VanHow to hire: Document StorageAll 701 hiring guides →

WEEE disposal firms near you

WEEE disposal firms in LondonWEEE disposal firms in ManchesterWEEE disposal firms in BirminghamWEEE disposal firms in GlasgowWEEE disposal firms in BelfastAll weee disposal firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  2. Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers
  3. Natural Resources Wales — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer
  4. SEPA — waste carriers and brokers
  5. DAERA — registration of carriers and brokers
  6. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  7. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34ZA — householder fixed penalties (England)
  8. gov.scot — Duty of Care code of practice for managing controlled waste (2026): householders
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  10. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  11. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  12. gov.uk — hazardous waste (England)
  13. gov.uk — electrical waste: retailer and distributor responsibilities
  14. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register