A survey conducted this month by the British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installation (BIKBBI) has concluded that installers are unclear who is responsible for safely disposing of environmentally harmful appliances.
It has found over a third of the 1,000 installers surveyed mistakenly believed customers have full responsibility to dispose of old appliances, despite electrical waste regulations placing responsibility with retailers and producers.
A majority of installers unable to meet additional costs of transporting old appliances for recycling, instead leave them for collection by local authorities or scrap collectors, the BIKBBI found.
Damian Walters, chief executive of BiKBBI, said: “Our industry has a huge part to play in the UK’s drive towards sustainability, but installers clearly need more support. As the results of our survey show, there is a real lack of clarity about whose responsibility it is to safely dispose of old appliances. It’s little wonder that so few installers are willing to take on the costs of getting appliances to government approved recycling sites when they are not sure whether it is their responsibility.
“Like all of us, installers want to do their bit for the environment but as very small businesses – often sole traders – they cannot afford to take on lots of additional regulation, responsibilities or costs. The government needs to make sure that their needs are taken into account and that every effort is made to provide them with the right information if and when any changes are made.”