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Many SMEs are still unaware of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation a year after it was issued, claims new research.

According to the findings from environmental guidance providers NetRegs, only 12 per cent of SMEs could name the regulations provided in the WEEE legislation, while only a third of businesses had heard of the regulation when questioned.

Richard Martin, NetRegs programme manager, says that as SMEs generate 60 per cent of all commercial waste in England and Wales: 'it's critical that all users of electrical equipment understand what WEEE means for them and it is worrying that only one in eight SMEs are aware of the legislation'.

He adds that SMEs could be incurring extra financial charges for removing waste from workplaces by not consulting the legislation.

According to the survey's findings, the WEEE regulations were introduced in January 2007 to reduce the estimated one million tonnes of electrical waste which goes to landfill every year.

Meanwhile a survey by npower business shows that SMEs are concerned that new government legislation could make UK firms uncompetitive.

For more information on the WEEE regulations, click here.

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