TV disposal for businesses: duty of care, waste codes and paperwork (UK)

Updated 6 November 2026 · By the TV Disposal team

Short answer: UK businesses must dispose of old TVs and monitors through an authorised waste carrier to a permitted facility, keeping a waste transfer note for at least two years. CRT screens and many older LCD screens are hazardous waste, which in England and Wales needs a consignment note kept for three years. Business TVs cannot normally go to household recycling centres, so a registered carrier is usually the simplest route.

TV disposal for businesses: duty of care, waste codes and paperwork (UK)

The duty of care

Every business that produces, stores or passes on waste has a legal duty of care. In England, Wales and Scotland this comes from section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, with equivalent rules in Northern Ireland. In practice, it means you must store waste safely, describe it accurately, give it only to someone authorised to take it, and keep records of each transfer. If your TVs are fly-tipped or illegally exported after you hand them over without proper checks, your business can be held responsible.

Electrical waste is also covered by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2013, which set out how WEEE must be collected and treated, and give producers responsibilities for financing the collection and treatment of electrical waste.

Is your TV waste hazardous?

Type of screen	Usual classification	Why
CRT TV or monitor	Hazardous	Leaded glass in the picture tube
LCD with fluorescent backlight, typically older models	Usually hazardous	Mercury in the backlight lamps
LED-backlit LCD	Often non-hazardous, depending on assessment	No mercury backlight, but components still need treatment
OLED	Often non-hazardous, depending on assessment	No backlight lamps
Plasma	Assessed case by case	Contains glass, phosphors and electronics

Government guidance on classifying electrical waste uses European Waste Catalogue codes, with separate codes for hazardous and non-hazardous equipment and for household-type and business waste. Your waste carrier or the receiving facility should help assign the right code. If you are unsure, treat mixed loads of older screens as potentially hazardous until assessed.

Paperwork you need

Document	When it applies	How long to keep it
Waste transfer note	Non-hazardous waste passed to a carrier	At least two years
Hazardous waste consignment note	Hazardous waste in England and Wales	Three years
Special waste consignment note	Hazardous waste in Scotland	Three years
Carrier registration details	Every carrier you use	Keep a record of their registration number

A waste transfer note should include a description of the waste, the quantity, the waste code, how it is contained, the names and addresses of both parties, the carrier's registration number, and the date and place of transfer. A single annual or season ticket note can cover regular repeated collections of the same type of waste from the same carrier.

Checking your carrier

Ask for their waste carrier registration number and check it on the public register for England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland
Confirm the name and address on the register match the business collecting from you
Ask which permitted facility the TVs will go to
Make sure the paperwork describes the waste accurately, including hazardous screens
Be cautious of very cheap offers that cannot explain where the waste goes

Waste carrier registration in England is held by the Environment Agency, in Wales by Natural Resources Wales, in Scotland by SEPA and in Northern Ireland by NIEA. Each publishes a searchable register.

Storing screens before collection

Businesses often gather old screens over weeks before booking a collection. Storage matters, because broken CRT tubes and cracked LCD panels are harder and riskier to handle, and waste stored badly can itself breach the duty of care. Keep screens indoors or under cover, upright, and in a secure area where they will not be knocked over or taken. Do not stack TVs flat on top of each other, as the weight can crack the panels underneath.

Keep hazardous screens such as CRTs separate from general waste
Label the storage area so staff know the screens are waiting for collection
Do not let anyone strip screens for parts, as dismantling WEEE needs a permit
Arrange collection before storage becomes a fire or trip hazard

Under the waste rules, waste should not be stored for long periods without a plan for removal. Regular collections keep storage areas manageable and paperwork simple.

Before collection

Wipe or factory reset smart TVs, hotel TVs and digital signage that store accounts, Wi-Fi details or guest data
Remove asset tags if you track equipment, or record serial numbers for your asset register
Separate working, recent screens that could be reused or resold
Store screens upright in a dry, secure place so glass is not broken
Count and list the screens so the paperwork matches what is collected

Reuse, take-back and remarketing

Recent, working screens may have value. IT asset disposal companies often buy or refurbish business monitors, and reuse is generally preferred over recycling under the waste hierarchy. When buying new equipment, ask your supplier whether take-back of the old screens can be arranged, as producers have obligations for business electrical waste in some circumstances. Where none of these routes apply, a registered carrier collection with full paperwork is the straightforward option.