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Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations Update

By OGCbuying.solutions

Have you heard of the WEEE directive? Are you clear on your obligations and those of your suppliers? Need clarification of any points? Then keep reading...

Electrical and Electronic Equipment is the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Following years of debate WEEE (the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006) finally came into force in the UK on 2 January 2007. The WEEE Regulations aim to reduce the amount of Electrical and Electronic waste going to landfill, while at the same time increase rates of recovery and recycling. Leading from this the full responsibility by producers for treating and recycling household WEEE begins on 1 July 2007.

The WEEE Regulations apply to businesses that manufacture, import, re-brand, distribute, sell, store, treat, dismantle, recycle, dispose or use Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). The regulations have significant implications for importers, producers, retailers and users of EEE, and for those who treat or recover WEEE.

All businesses that use electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) must comply with the WEEE Regulations and must store, collect, treat, recycle and dispose of WEEE separately from their other waste.

Users of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE)

Users of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) must obtain and keep proof that their WEEE was given to a waste management company, and was treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound way. It is important for users to know that WEEE products are also categorised depending on when they were placed onto the market.

Products placed on the market before 13 August 2005 are called 'historic' WEEE. Products placed on the market after 13 August 2005 are called 'future' WEEE.

Free disposal

Users are able to return WEEE free of charge if:

  • It was purchased after 13 August 2005, or
  • It is being replaced with new equivalent EEE.

In these circumstances the producer's compliance scheme is responsible for the WEEE and the EEE supplier can provide information on the take-back systems that are available.

Customers should also be aware of what is expected of them when disposal is not free. In this case users must arrange and pay for the transfer of WEEE to an approved authorised treatment facility (AATF) if they:

  • Are discarding EEE which was purchased before 13 August 2005, and are not replacing it with equivalent EEE
  • Cannot trace the producer or their compliance scheme
  • Are purchasing new EEE and choose, through negotiation with the producer, to accept the future costs of treating and disposing of it.

WEEE must be treated at approved authorised treatment facilities (AATF) and must undergo de-pollution treatment. However, de-pollution will not always remove all hazardous components, and the waste may still need to be treated as hazardous/special waste.

Equipment distributors and retailers

Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, a 'distributor' is classed as someone who sells electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) to end users. This includes retailers, wholesalers, mail order and Internet sales. Distributors, who manufacture, re-brand or import EEE, must also comply with the obligations as a producer.

Distributors must make sure that their EEE producers (i.e. suppliers) are registered with the environmental regulator. They should always provide their producer registration number.

Distributors must provide their customers with information on:

  • The environmental impacts of EEE and WEEE
  • The reasons for separating WEEE from other waste
  • The meaning of the crossed out wheeled bin symbol
  • How they can safely deposit WEEE for proper treatment and recycling free of charge

Distributors must keep records of this information for four years and display information to customers on the benefits of take-back schemes.

Take-back systems

Distributors must set up a system that customers can use to dispose of WEEE free of charge and clearly explain this system to customers.

There are two types of take-back system:

  • An in-store take-back scheme, to accept a waste item from customers in-store when selling them an equivalent new item, and
  • A distributor take-back scheme, designed to work through a network of designated collection facilities (DCFs).

The In-store take-back scheme must:

  • Accept all types of EEE which are sold by the distributor or
  • Record the amount and category of items received (keeping these records for four years)
  • Arrange the removal of separately collected WEEE

Take-back obligations do not apply to retailers selling second-hand or reconditioned EEE. This includes charities or shops selling EEE that has been refurbished by the voluntary and social enterprise sector.

Producers of Equipment

Today producers are provided with a producer registration number that must be given to distributors when selling EEE.

Information on new EEE must be provided to assist treatment and re-use. This includes information on the components and materials in the EEE, and the location of any hazardous substances.

Also all goods must be marked with the crossed out wheeled bin symbol (this will help separate WEEE from other waste streams), and include a producer's identification mark. It must also be shown that the product was placed on the market after 13 August 2005; a thick bar underneath the wheeled bin symbol can be used to show this.

image of a crossed-out bin

Collection and treatment of WEEE

Producers are financially responsible for collecting, treating, recovering and disposing of an equivalent amount of WEEE that is calculated according to the amount of EEE that they produce.

Producers must arrange and meet the cost of the dismantling, recovery, and in particular the reuse and recycling of WEEE; which must be done in an environmentally sound way. And, make sure that all separately collected WEEE is taken only to approved, authorised treatment facilities (AATF), where WEEE can be treated safely prior to recycling or disposal. An arrangement can be made with the producer compliance scheme to collect, treat and recycle WEEE.

Responsibility for historic WEEE (products on the market before 13 August 2005) will be shared out between all producers, depending on their market share. The collective producer responsibility for historic WEEE will end in 2013.

Producer compliance schemes

Producers joined a producer compliance scheme by 15 March 2007 (approved by the environmental regulator). This scheme registered producers with the environmental regulator and does the following:

  • Reports information to the environmental regulator on the amount of EEE put on the UK market, by category and type of intended user
  • Provides information from the environmental regulator and
  • Takes responsibility for separately collected WEEE

So what are Buying Solutions doing about WEEE?

Feedback reveals that Catalist customers, anxious to comply to WEEE regulations, have quickly felt assured by OGCbuying.solutions' pro-activeness in this area. To support their customers and suppliers, Buying Solutions actively works to ensure that suppliers are aware of their responsibilities and that these suppliers are also complying with WEEE. This is done through regular contract review meetings with the Catalist suppliers and through dealing with queries or any issues between customers and suppliers in terms of WEEE. If you have any queries or issues in this respect that you would like to raise with us, please email itfw@ogcbs.gsi.gov.uk.

Buying Solutions also reiterates the standards of good practice that should be followed such as encouraging producers and distributors to improve the reusability and recycling capability of EEE, particularly as part of the product design, and by providing information to aid dismantling. This intends to save both treatment and disposal costs.

For more information on the WEEE Directive please email the DTI at weee@dti.gsi.gov.uk.

Please email us at itfwezine@ogcbs.gsi.gov.uk if you have any feedback regarding this article.

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