What are your WEEE responsibilities

Summary of the main WEEE obligations

Business to consumer (B2C) obligation - Producer

A manufacturer, importer or brand owner has obligations that include the following:

• To register with a compliance scheme, or as a compliance scheme, and provide data

• To meet the costs of transporting, treating and recycling a share of all WEEE from private households collected at DCFs, in relevant categories, in proportion to their market share of EEE put on the market in those categories in the compliance year

Business to Business (B2B) Obligations – Producer

A manufacturer, importer or brand owner has obligations that include the following:

• Register with a compliance scheme and provide data

• Finance the costs of collection, treatment and recycling of their own brand EEE put on the market on or after 13 August 2005

• Finance the costs of collection, treatment and recycling of any EEE put on the market before 13 August 2005 which they replace on a like for like basis

• Keep records for four years

• Nothing prevents the producer from reaching an agreement with some other party to finance these costs

B2B Obligations – Distributor and final user

• A distributor of B2B EEE who is not a manufacturer, importer or brand owner has no obligations unless they agree to take on responsibility for disposal of WEEE they replace

• The final user of B2B EEE put on the market before 13 August 2005, which is not being replaced on a like for like basis, must finance the cost of its collection, treatment and recycling

• Nothing prevents the final user from reaching an agreement with another party to finance these costs

B2C Obligations – Distributor /Retailer

A distributor or retailer who sells new EEE to a private household user has obligations that include the following:

• Provide environmental information when supplying new EEE

• Take back WEEE from a purchaser free of charge on a like for like basis

• They may return that WEEE to a system set up by a compliance scheme, e.g. an ATF

• Maintain detailed records for four years

• OR gain exemption from the take back requirements by joining a Distributor Take Back Scheme (DTS)

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