What responsibilities will a distributor (retailer) have?
Distributors (retailers) have an important role to play in facilitating the take-back of WEEE from householders. The main obligation is to provide a take-back service to householders enabling them to return their WEEE free of charge. The WEEE Regulations provide you with a choice of providing “in-store” take-back or participating in the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS), or providing an alternative system for free take-back for householders.
There is a further obligation on distributors to provide householders with information on the options that are available to them for the free return of their WEEE and on the environmental benefits from its separate collection. Distributors of household WEEE should make and retain records of the information they provide to consumers and regarding any household WEEE received.
Distributors opting for in-store take-back should be aware that they are not entitled to free collection of the WEEE from their stores by a producer compliance scheme (PCS). In practice, such distributors should contact PCSs to arrange for collection (possibly with a transport fee charge) or you must consign it to an AATF on their behalf. If you are transporting WEEE a registered Waste carrier must be used.
We can help
If you are unsure of your obligation as a distributor (retailer) of EEE or for more details on this DTS please contact the team at Comply Direct.
