Tighter rules for getting rid of old fridges

COMPANIES producing domestic appliances for sale in the Balearic Islands want to set up six organisations which will be in charge of collecting and recycling old fridges, freezers and other electrical goods. This comes in light of the new European directive, which comes into force today, and obliges domestic appliance manufacturers to manage their waste environmentally. Electrical producers distributing to the islands have asked the Ministry for the Environment for the necessary permission to create six organisations.
This directive is based on the principle that “whoever contaminates must pay” and has been created to stop people dumping toxic waste and to reuse some of the components which can be saved. Furthermore the directive gives the right to all self-governing regions, as are the Balearic Islands, to grant the necessary permits needed to create these organisations, known as Integral Systems for Integral Management (SIG), said a spokesperson from the environment ministry. The SIGs are non-profit making organisations created by domestic appliance manufacturers, which are charged with collecting and managing electrical waste. Consumers can still carry on using the recycling zones in their towns to dispose of their old and broken domestic appliances.
Once the SIGs are up and running, it is planned that consumers will also be able to take old electrical equipment back to the manufacturers.
The European directive expressively forbids the uncontrolled dumping of waste for these type of possible dangerous and toxic products.
It is therefore hoped that this new directive will help clean up the countryside which can sometimes be littered with old fridges and washing machines.