Features

WEEE small words - Glossary of terms

ATF: Authorised treatment facility. Approved reprocessing facilities that provide evidence of treatment and recovery. These sites are licensed by the Environment Agency.

DCF: Designated collection facility. Civic amenity sites put forward by councils for WEEE collection. DCF sites receive funding from the DTS. PCS operators are responsible for clearing WEEE from DCF sites.

DTS: Distributor takeback scheme. Administered by Valpak (www.valpak.co.uk), this is an alternative to taking back WEEE products in store. Members of the DTS provide details of collection facilities to those buying like-for-like products. A contribution of £10 million from the DTS will go to local authorities to upgrade DCF sites.

EA: Environment Agency, a public body for the protection and improvement of the environment in England and Wales. Although the DTI drew up the guidelines for WEEE, it is the Environment Agency that will be responsible for enforcing it.

EEE: Electrical and electronic equipment. The acronym refers specifically to new equipment put on the market after 13th August 2005. As of the 1st April this year, all producers of EEE were required to mark their products with the wheelie-bin symbol.

Historic WEEE: Waste electronic and electric equipment that was sold before 13th August 2005. A producer's obligations to the WEEE Directive will vary, depending on whether the equipment that is being disposed of by a particular business was sold before or after that date.

ICER: Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling, an association focusing on WEEE.

PCS: Producer compliance schemes. Private- sector organisations that help producers meet their WEEE obligations. Schemes are licensed by the Environment Agency.

1 At a glance - How WEEE Directive is enforced How can you be sure an electronic product is being recycled? Sadly, there is no way of tracking items individually from factory to rubbish tip, particularly if users chuck them in the bin. However, the trail of evidence monitored by the Environment Agency ensures that everyone does their fair share of recycling. Here's a summary of how it works: Producers of electrical/electronic equipment must join producer compliance scheme (PCS). New products must carry the WEEE symbol. Producers are responsible for the funding of WEEE collection and treatment. The funding of WEEE collection and treatment from B2B users, if buying like for like or if the product went on the market after 13th August 2005, falls on producers. The Environment Agency works out the market share for a producer based on the reported weight of products sold. This information comes from its PCS. The share of the cost of collection and treatment of WEEE is allocated to manufacturers according to their market share, regardless of who made the products. The PCS arranges for the WEEE to be taken to an authorised treatment facility, which reports on what happens to each part of the product. This report is procured by the PCS and used as evidence that the producer has discharged its obligation.