WEEE Policy
In the European Union (EU), waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is now subject to regulation designed to control the disposal of such waste and to encourage prior treatment measures to minimize the amount of waste ultimately disposed. The objective of this regulation is to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment, protect human health, and utilize natural resources prudently. In particular, the EU WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC (the WEEE Directive) requires that Producers of electronic equipment be responsible for the collection, reuse, recycling and treatment of WEEE which the Producer places on the EU market after August 13, 2005. Hinds Instruments, Inc. (Hinds), as an electronics producer, endeavors to meet these environmental goals for managing WEEE. In so doing, Hinds is providing the following information to its customers about Hinds’ WEEE collection process.
Take-back Program
To comply with the WEEE Directive, Hinds has implemented a product take-back program to cover collection, treatment, recovery and disposal of all electrical and electronic equipment sold by Hinds into the EU Member States on and after August 13, 2005. When Hinds is the producer of such equipment, Hinds will take back WEEE, including subassemblies, components and consumables which are part of Hinds’ equipment, from its customers within the EU.
WEEE Collection Process
New WEEE
If you have purchased Hinds manufactured electrical or electronic products in the EU on and after August 13, 2005, and are intending to discard these products at the end of their useful life, please do not dispose of them with your other waste. Instead, please be aware that Hinds has a return system available to you for these products.
When Hinds manufactured EEE sold into the European Union has reached the end of its useful life, Hinds collects the WEEE from our customers and routes it to our recovery facility in the United States, where the waste will be audited and screened for disposition. Where possible, the products will be reused in Hinds’ remanufacturing operation or sold. Material that cannot be reused in some form is recycled by Hinds’ asset recovery contractor. A significant portion of Hinds’ returns will possibly be recovered, either by remanufacturing, reselling and recycling with minimal waste being sent to the landfill.
To help in the proper handling of electronic products at the end of their useful life, Hinds requires the customer to submit a request for return material authorization (RMA).
To obtain an RMA, send an email to WEEERMA or contact a Hinds sales representative by telephone at (503)-690-2000. Once the return authorization is granted, you will receive instructions on how to complete the return.
Historical WEEE
While the WEEE Directive does not require that Hinds collect historical WEEE from products purchased by our customers before August 13, 2005, Hinds will evaluate your request to take back such historical waste. To initiate your request related to historical waste, please contact Hinds as noted above by way of email or telephone.
OEM Customers
Hinds Instruments is committed to working with our OEM customers to discuss proper product disposal and management and to evaluate producer responsibility for products sold by our OEM customers within the EU. For questions regarding WEEE, please contact Hinds as noted above by way of email or telephone. Due to the various aspects of our relationships with our OEM customers, a Hinds representative may contact you for further information.
Nuclear Industry Customers
For customers using its WEEE in applications subject to a radioactive environment, Hinds will discuss their options for eventual disposal. You may contact us via the methods noted above.
Our Pledge
By working together with our customers for the return of obsolete products, Hinds Instruments can better meet the EU’s goals for environmental stewardship by properly managing product returns for reuse, recycling and waste minimization wherever possible. With your help, we can help the global environment.