The Government has published guidelines for
the sellers and users of electrical and electronic goods on how to
stay on the right side of new laws regarding their disposal.
The guidelines are designed to help clarify Europe's Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations.
"There are no exemptions for SMEs under the
WEEE Directive, and hence the WEEE Regulations apply to all
businesses regardless of size," said the guidance which has been
issued by the Department of Trade and Industry.
"Distributors of EEE [electrical or electronic
equipment] have responsibilities in terms of the provision of
facilities to enable the free take-back of household WEEE by final
holders or end users and the provision of certain information to
consumers of EEE," the guidance said. "However the Government is
working to ensure that any costs to SMEs are not
disproportionate."
The Regulations were put to Parliament in
December of last year and come into force this year. Most of the
duties relating to the disposal of material come into effect in
July, but from April, retailers and distributors must mark products
with WEEE information and provide consumers with information about
the WEEE Regulations.
The guidance gives definitions of who exactly
counts as a producer of WEEE, and is therefore governed by the
Regulations. "You are a producer for the purposes of the WEEE
Regulations if you are: a manufacturer of EEE, selling under your
own brand in the UK; or a business based in the UK selling under
your own brand EEE manufactured by another person; or a
professional importer introducing EEE to the UK market; or a
business based in the UK that places EEE in other European Members
States by means of distance selling," it said.
The guidance also defines a distributor of
WEEE as someone who is a retailer or wholesaler of new
equipment.
"The main obligation on distributors is to
provide a take-back service to householders enabling them to return
their WEEE free of charge," said the guidelines. "The WEEE
Regulations provide you with a choice of providing "in-store"
take-back or participating in the Distributor Take-back Scheme, or
providing an alternative system for free take-back for
householders."
The DTI advice also outlines what consumers
can expect. Though they have no obligations under the new rules and
can deposit old equipment in WEEE sections at municipal dumps, it
does point out that the Regulations do not give householders the
right to free pick up of equipment from their home.
The guidance also gives details of producer
compliance schemes, information for local authorities and in depth
information for producers and distributors of their obligations
under the new law.
The DTI also announced that Valpak had been
chosen to operate the distributor take back scheme which the
Regulations say must be put in place.
