The export of working electronic equipment does not require the authorities to be notified. This may include used appliances or working components. If considered to be working, electronic equipment is not classified as waste and can be exported without notification.
In certain circumstances, the Environment Agency should be notified of movements of exports for recovery, depending on the waste type and destination.
Records held by the Environment Agency relate to the export of wastes that require consent under the notification process. This would include waste described as hazardous or where receiving countries have requested notification for certain materials. For wastes classified under the European waste catalogue entry 1602 as wastes from electrical and electronic equipment, the Environment Agency records show that no such wastes were notified for export to countries outside the EU over the last three years.
The Environment Agency also holds records of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) exports under the Accredited Exporter scheme. These are mostly waste streams from the processing of WEEE with a small amount of whole appliances. Data are only available from July 2007 onwards and do not differentiate between exports within Europe and outside Europe.
It is illegal to export waste for disposal which includes WEEE. The Environment Agency has no estimate of the amount of WEEE that is illegally exported for disposal.
The Environment Agency is the regulatory authority for the transfrontier shipment of waste in England and Wales. They have confirmed that one company was fined in 2006-07 for the illegal export of waste electrical and electronic equipment and two companies were fined in 2007-08.