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WEEE Regulations Guidance for Distributors
Distributors have obligations under Regulations 31, 33, and 34 of the WEEE.
Regulations Part 5. Distributors have two ways in which they can become compliant with the WEEE regulations:
• Regulation 31:
Offer in-store take-back of old WEEE items on a like for like basis when a customer buys an equivalent item from you, and dispose of the old item safely. For example, if a customer buys a toaster from your store, then they are entitled to return their old toaster to your store. The customer has to return their old item to your store within 28 days of purchasing their new item. Your store will then have to return the WEEE to a producer compliance scheme or local waster carrier. More information on what to do with WEEE received from customers can be found in this E-mail under the section titled: “What to do with WEEE returned to you”. If you sell items via the internet please see the section of this document headed: “Take-back from online stores”.
• Regulation 33:
Provide information on the effects of WEEE as specified in regulation 33 of the WEEE regulations. If you run a high street store this information should be displayed on a poster or in a leaflet. If you run an online store then the information should be provided on your website. Most online-only distributors choose to display the information in the “terms and conditions” part of their website. If you trade both on the high street and online, then your shop premises and internet site will both have to display information on the WEEE Regulations in accordance with Regulation 33.Information on how to comply with Regulation 33 can be found on the next page, under the heading: “Further information on Regulation 33”.
• Regulation 34:
Keep records of any WEEE units returned to your stores for a period of 4 years. The records have to contain a brief description of the WEEE item, the date it came into the store, and the date at which it was disposed of safely. Information on how to keep records in the correct format can be found under the heading “Further information on Regulation 34”.
• If the customer lives locally then allow them to return their WEEE to a store or head office address.
• For smaller items (e.g. mobile phones) you can provide a customer with a pre-paid envelope which they can use to return their WEEE to you, alternatively you can reimburse the customer for the cost of posting any WEEE to you.
• For larger items (e.g. fridge-freezers, cookers, washing machines, etc) customers can return their items to a local store as above. If customers do not have a local store then the distributor will have to arrange to have the old item collected. You can either collect on delivery, or contact a licensed waste carrier or PCS to collect the WEEE from the customer’s premises. For more information on waste carriers and PCS see the section ofthis document entitled: “What to do with WEEE returned to you”.
• Alternatively join the Distributor Take-back Scheme, which allows you to opt out of receiving WEEE from customers. A company called Valpak run this scheme, more information on the DTS can be found under the heading “Option 2” above. You have to pay a fee to join this scheme.
Customers do not have to pay to return their WEEE to an online retailer / distance seller. The distributor must bear the cost.
Further information on Regulation 33:
This guidance is intended to provide help for distributors when they create information on WEEE for their customers. This information is for guidance purposes only; copying the information below will not provide enough information on WEEE to satisfy the requirements of regulation 33.
Information
33. A distributor who supplies new EEE shall make information available to users of EEE in private households on—
(a) the requirement on each member State under Article 2 of the Directive to minimise the disposal of WEEE as unsorted municipal waste and to achieve a high level of collection of WEEE for treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal;
To comply with this section simply state that the WEEE regulations are European law and the UK is required to increase the amount of WEEE being treated andrecovered in an effort to stop it going into landfill sites.
(b) the collection and take back systems available to them; & (c) their role in contributing to the reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery of WEEE under these Regulations; If you are a DTS member: Explain that you have opted out of receiving WEEE by joining the DTS, however you have contributed to a fund which will improvethe UK’s network of recycling facilities. You should then go to http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/banklocator/banklocator.aspx and find the location of the nearest Civic Amenity site that can handle WEEE items. To do this you have to deselect all of the boxes except those under the “WEEE” section.
If you are offering in-store take-back: Explain that customers can bring back an old item that serves the same purpose as the new item within 28 days of purchasing their new item.
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