WEEE Recycling & Electrical Equipment Take-Back Policy

1. Purpose

TerraAqua is committed to reducing electrical waste and supporting the safe reuse and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment.

This policy explains what waste electrical and electronic equipment is, why it must be collected separately, what the crossed-out wheeled-bin symbol means, and how customers can use TerraAqua’s free take-back service when purchasing equivalent new electrical equipment.

2. What is WEEE?

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, commonly referred to as WEEE, includes electrical or electronic products that have reached the end of their useful life or are no longer wanted. This can include aquarium controllers, electronic sensor nodes, power-control equipment, network switches, power supplies, displays and other electrical aquarium equipment.

3. Do not dispose of electrical equipment with household waste

Electrical and electronic equipment must not be placed in general household rubbish. It can contain metals, electronic components and other materials that should be recovered, reused or treated safely.

Putting electrical equipment into general waste can waste reusable materials, increase landfill or incineration, allow potentially harmful materials to enter the environment and create fire risks. Keep unwanted electrical equipment separate and use an appropriate reuse, take-back or recycling service.

4. Crossed-out wheeled-bin symbol

TerraAqua electrical products may display a crossed-out wheeled-bin symbol. This means the product must not be disposed of with general household waste and must be collected separately for appropriate reuse, treatment or recycling.

A solid bar beneath the symbol indicates that the electrical equipment was placed on the market after 13 August 2005.

5. Reuse before recycling

Where equipment remains safe and functional, customers should consider continued use, professional repair, passing it to another suitable user or donation to an organisation that accepts working electrical equipment before treating it as waste.

Do not give away, sell or reuse equipment that is electrically unsafe, significantly damaged, contaminated or unsuitable for further use.

6. TerraAqua’s free like-for-like take-back service

When a customer purchases new electrical or electronic equipment directly from TerraAqua, TerraAqua will accept one old equivalent household item on a one-for-one, like-for-like basis for recycling.

For example, when purchasing a new ReefCore Controller, the customer may request the return of one old aquarium controller or another item that performs substantially the same primary function.

• The old equipment does not need to have been manufactured by TerraAqua.
• It must perform substantially the same function as the new equipment purchased.
• It must be household electrical or electronic equipment.
• It must be returned using TerraAqua’s instructions.
• It must not present an unreasonable health or safety risk.

TerraAqua will not charge for accepting or recycling a qualifying item and will provide a prepaid return method or another free return route. If a customer requests a different home-collection service, a reasonable transport charge may apply where legally permitted; any charge will be explained and agreed before collection. Contact TerraAqua before returning equipment so that the appropriate method can be arranged. Equipment sent without prior authorisation may be refused or returned to the sender.

7. When to request take-back

TerraAqua currently arranges product sales through product enquiries, quotations, email and invoices rather than an online checkout. Customers can request take-back when first enquiring, before accepting a quotation or paying an invoice, when arranging delivery, or within 28 days after receiving the new equivalent product.

8. How to request the service

Email info@terra-aqua.co.uk with the subject WEEE take-back request and include:

• the customer’s name;
• the TerraAqua quotation, invoice or order reference;
• the new product purchased;
• a description and approximate dimensions and weight of the old item;
• whether the item is damaged or contains a battery; and
• details of contamination, leakage, corrosion or any other safety issue.

Do not post, deliver or leave electrical equipment at a TerraAqua address without written instructions.

9. Preparing equipment for return

Before return, switch equipment off, disconnect it safely, drain and dry it where applicable, remove salt deposits and surface contamination where safe, remove personal information, sign out of connected services, perform a factory reset where appropriate and package it securely.

Do not open sealed power supplies, mains-powered products or damaged battery compartments. Tell TerraAqua before return if equipment is wet, heavily corroded, contaminated, burnt, swollen, leaking or otherwise potentially hazardous.

10. Personal information and connected products

Controllers and other connected products may contain Wi-Fi details, account identifiers, aquarium names, configuration settings, historical readings, network addresses or other locally stored information. Customers should remove personal information and disconnect products from online accounts before return where reasonably possible.

11. Batteries

Batteries must not be placed in general household waste. Where an item contains an easily removable battery, TerraAqua may instruct the customer to remove and recycle it separately.

Do not remove a battery that is built in, damaged, swollen, leaking, hot, corroded or unsafe to access. Tell TerraAqua about any battery before returning equipment.

12. Other recycling options

Customers who are not using TerraAqua’s take-back service can take unwanted household electrical equipment to an appropriate local recycling facility. Local councils normally provide information about household waste recycling centres, electrical-equipment collection points, small-electrical collection services and reuse organisations.

Electrical equipment must not be left outside a recycling centre or deposited at an unauthorised location.

13. Business and commercial equipment

Different arrangements may apply to equipment supplied for business, commercial, institutional or other non-household use. Business customers should contact TerraAqua before disposal so that the applicable responsibilities and recycling arrangements can be identified.

14. What happens to returned equipment?

Accepted equipment will be assessed for safe reuse, refurbishment, component recovery or environmentally responsible treatment and recycling. Equipment that cannot be safely reused will be transferred through an appropriate authorised waste or recycling route.

15. Product marking and producer responsibilities

TerraAqua marks applicable electrical products with the crossed-out wheeled-bin symbol and an appropriate date mark. TerraAqua maintains applicable producer registration, product-weight and electrical-equipment records.

16. Limits of the take-back service

TerraAqua may refuse or require special handling where an item is not equivalent to the new product, exceeds the one-for-one allowance, contains liquids, chemicals or biological contamination, presents a serious health, electrical, chemical or fire risk, is incorrectly packaged or is delivered without prior authorisation.

Where reasonably possible, TerraAqua will explain the reason and identify an alternative appropriate disposal route. Nothing in this policy removes a customer right provided by applicable law.

17. Customer responsibilities

Customers are responsible for providing accurate information, following return and packaging instructions, protecting personal data, not placing electrical equipment in household waste, disclosing hazards and using authorised collection and recycling services.

18. Changes to this policy

TerraAqua may update this policy to reflect legislation, regulatory guidance, products, recycling services, take-back arrangements or business operations. The current version will be published in the TerraAqua Legal Centre.

19. Contact

Version history