Liz Parkes, Head of Waste at the Environment Agency, said: "From an initial telephone survey we know that more than 3,000 businesses have signed up so far. This is encouraging news that shows many companies are getting the message about the new WEEE Regulations and what they need to do."

If you missed the 15 March deadline, the Environment Agency advise you to get yourself into a scheme as soon as possible. With 37 schemes on offer there is plenty of choice and competition, so make sure you sign up with a scheme that's best for you.

Signing up late is better than leaving it altogether. Unregistered producers will have committed an offence and if you leave it too late, you risk getting prosecuted.

Liz Parkes continued: "The progress so far in implementing the WEEE Regulations has been positive given the challenging timetable. The regulations are an essential tool for reducing massive amounts of old electrical and electronic equipment currently thrown into landfill sites each year.

"Importantly, the regulations place the responsibility for, and the cost of, reducing environmental impact on those who profit from making the goods in the first place. The more electronics a producer puts on the market, the more WEEE it must ensure is dealt with safely.

Compliance schemes have been set up to help those companies affected by the WEEE Regulations by collecting and recycling products on their behalf. Registration fees reflect the scale and impact of individual businesses' WEEE in a fair and proportionate way.

As part of the drive to make unregistered producers aware of the regulations, the Environment Agency will be targeting companies it considers as potentially needing to join a compliance scheme through advertisements and a telephone campaign. This work will run alongside efforts by the Department for Trade and Industry that will also be reminding producers of their responsibilities.

For the full list of approved compliance schemes and their contact details, call 08708 506 506 or click here.