The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013

PART 5DISTRIBUTOR OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS: WEEE FROM PRIVATE HOUSEHOLDS

Takeback

42.—(1) A distributor who supplies new EEE to a person will ensure that WEEE from private households can be returned to them free of charge and on a one-to-one basis by that person, provided that any such WEEE—

(a)is of an equivalent type to, and

(b)has fulfilled the same function as,

the supplied equipment.

(2) A distributor who supplies new EEE from a retail premises with a sales area relating to EEE of at least 400m² must provide for the collection of very small WEEE free of charge to the end-user of the EEE with no obligation to buy EEE of an equivalent type. Such collection must take place at the retail premises or in its immediate proximity.

Returns

43.—(1) A distributor may return WEEE from private households free of charge to the system that has been set up by an operator of a scheme that has been approved under regulation 55 for the purposes of complying with that operator of a scheme’s obligations in relation to WEEE from private households under regulation 28.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), “system” means a system that an operator of a scheme has set up —

(a)in accordance with regulations 30, 31 and 32; and

(b)under regulation 50.

Information

44.  A distributor who supplies new EEE will make information available in writing to users of EEE in private households on—

(a)the requirement on each Member State under Article 5(1) of the Directive to minimise the disposal of WEEE as unsorted municipal waste and to achieve a high level of collection (including separate collection) of WEEE for treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal;

(b)the collection and take-back systems that are available to them;

(c)their role in contributing to the reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery of WEEE under these Regulations;

(d)the potential effects on the environment and human health as a result of the presence of hazardous substances in EEE; and

(e)the meaning of the crossed out wheeled bin symbol shown in Schedule 6.

Record keeping

45.—(1) A distributor to whom the regulation 42 applies will keep a record of the number of units of WEEE from private households that are returned to him under that regulation.

(2) A distributor who returns WEEE from private households under regulation 43 will keep a record of the number of units of WEEE from private households returned by him under that regulation.

(3) Each distributor to whom the obligation in regulation 44 applies will keep a record of the information made available under that regulation.

(4) The records referred to in this regulation will be kept for a period of at least four years commencing on the date on which any such record is made and will be made available to the Secretary of State on demand.

Exemption for distributors who are current members of a distributor take back scheme

46.  Where a distributor is a member of a distributor take back scheme, they will be exempt from complying with the requirements of regulation 42 and 45(1) for the period during which his membership of the scheme subsists.