WEEE

# WEEE WEEE, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2012/19/EU), makes producers of electrical and electronic equipment responsible for financing the collection, treatment and recycling of their products at end of life. It requires producer registration in every EU member state where products are sold, sets collection and recovery targets, and mandates the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol on equipment. ## Key facts - The WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU) has applied in its recast form since 2012, with open scope covering all EEE from 15 August 2018. - Producers must register in each member state where they place EEE on the market, usually through a producer compliance scheme. - The directive sets collection targets: 65 percent of EEE placed on the market or 85 percent of WEEE generated. - Six product categories organise the scope, from temperature exchange equipment to small IT equipment. - EEE must bear the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol, defined in EN 50419, showing it must not go into unsorted municipal waste. - Distance sellers must register in each member state where they sell, appointing an authorised representative where they have no establishment. - Treatment standards require removal of hazardous components and fluids before recovery and recycling. ## Scope and the six categories WEEE applies to electrical and electronic equipment, defined similarly to RoHS: equipment dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields to work properly, plus equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of such currents. Since 15 August 2018 the directive operates on an open scope basis: all EEE is covered unless explicitly excluded, replacing the earlier closed list of ten categories. The six categories now organise reporting and targets: temperature exchange equipment such as refrigerators and air conditioners; screens and monitors; lamps; large equipment such as washing machines and photovoltaic panels; small equipment such as vacuum cleaners and toys; and small IT and telecommunications equipment such as laptops and phones. Producers report the quantities they place on the market per category, and collection and recovery targets are tracked against these groupings. Exclusions are limited and specific: equipment for military and space purposes, large-scale stationary industrial tools, large-scale fixed installations, means of transport, non-road mobile machinery, and implanted or infected medical devices, among others defined in the directive. Filament light bulbs are excluded from the lamps category's scope in some contexts, and the details matter for lighting producers. ## Producer responsibility: registration, financing and reporting The core duty is extended producer responsibility: producers must finance the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE from private households, and for non-household WEEE they finance at least the treatment and recovery of products they placed on the market after the directive's application dates. In practice, producers join a producer compliance scheme in each member state, which organises collection and treatment on their behalf for a fee based on the quantities and categories placed on the market. Registration is per member state. A producer selling EEE in fifteen member states needs fifteen registrations, with fifteen sets of reports and fees. Distance sellers shipping directly to end users in another member state are producers in that state and must register there, appointing an authorised representative for WEEE where they are not established. This is one of the most commonly missed obligations for e-commerce sellers of electronics. Reporting is periodic, typically quarterly or annually depending on the member state, and covers quantities placed on the market by category. Schemes use the data to calculate fees and to compile the national statistics behind the EU targets. Producers must also mark their products with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol and identify themselves, so that WEEE can be attributed and consumers know not to bin the product. ## Collection, treatment and targets Member states must ensure that WEEE is collected separately from unsorted municipal waste and treated properly. The headline collection target is 65 percent of the average weight of EEE placed on the market in the three preceding years, or alternatively 85 percent of WEEE generated on the territory. Retailers and distributors have take-back duties: in many member states, retailers must accept small WEEE free of charge, and distributors must take back old equipment when supplying a new equivalent product. Treatment must meet the directive's standards: depollution comes first, with the removal of fluids, batteries, mercury-containing components, capacitors, printed circuit boards above certain sizes and other hazardous fractions listed in the directive's annexes. Only after depollution do recovery and recycling proceed, with recovery targets per category reaching up to 85 percent and recycling targets up to 80 percent for the best-performing categories. The system is enforced through scheme audits, authority inspections of treatment facilities and shipment controls. Illegal export of WEEE, disguised as used equipment, is a known enforcement focus, with requirements to demonstrate functionality and proper documentation for shipments of used EEE. | Category | Examples | Recovery target | Recycling target | |---|---|---|---| | Temperature exchange equipment | Fridges, air conditioners | 85% | 80% | | Screens and monitors | TVs, monitors | 80% | 70% | | Lamps | LED, fluorescent lamps | n/a (collection focus) | 80% | | Large equipment | Washing machines, PV panels | 85% | 80% | | Small equipment | Vacuums, toys, tools | 75% | 55% | | Small IT and telecoms | Laptops, phones | 75% | 55% | ## The crossed-out wheeled bin symbol The symbol of WEEE compliance is the crossed-out wheeled bin, defined in EN 50419, which must appear on EEE placed on the EU market. It tells consumers and waste handlers that the product must not be disposed of in unsorted municipal waste but collected separately. The symbol must be printed visibly, legibly and indelibly, and a solid bar underneath indicates the product was placed on the market after the directive's application date. Batteries incorporated in equipment carry their own marking duties under the Batteries Regulation, and packaging has separate labelling rules, so a single product may legitimately carry several environmental symbols. Artwork control should ensure each symbol meets its defining standard: a distorted or improvised wheelie bin symbol fails the requirement. ## WEEE beyond the EU The UK retained WEEE rules after Brexit in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013, with producer registration through the Environment Agency and compliance schemes, quarterly reporting and similar category structures. The systems are separate: EU registrations do not cover Great Britain and vice versa. Other major markets have their own e-waste regimes: many US states operate electronics recycling programmes with producer or retailer obligations, Canada has provincial stewardship programmes, and countries across Asia, Latin America and Africa are introducing or strengthening e-waste laws. The EU directive remains the most comprehensive model and the reference point for new legislation worldwide, so a compliance programme built for WEEE adapts well elsewhere. For global producers, the pattern is familiar: identify producer status per jurisdiction, register, report quantities, pay fees and mark products. Centralising product data, with weights and categories per SKU, makes multi-jurisdiction reporting manageable and provides the evidence base for fee verification. ## Practical compliance steps Determine producer status in each market of sale, including distance sales, and register with the compliance schemes or national registers before the first placing on the market. Build a reporting process that captures quantities placed on the market by WEEE category from sales data, since fees and reports depend on accurate weights. Ensure product marking: the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol per EN 50419, producer identification and, where required, the date mark. Coordinate with the RoHS and packaging compliance programmes, since the same product data feeds substance declarations, EPR packaging reports and WEEE reports, and a single product information system serving all three avoids duplicated effort. Calendar the reporting deadlines per member state, as they differ, and keep records of registrations, reports and fee payments. When entering a new member state or launching a new product category, treat WEEE registration as part of the launch checklist, not an afterthought: selling unregistered is one of the fastest routes to enforcement action. ## Frequently asked questions Who is the producer under WEEE? Whoever places EEE on the market of a member state: manufacturers selling directly, importers, distance sellers and, in some cases, resellers of own-brand products. The definition is functional, based on first placing on the market. Do I need to register in every EU country where I sell? Yes. WEEE registration is per member state. Distance sellers must appoint an authorised representative in member states where they are not established. What is the difference between WEEE and RoHS? RoHS restricts hazardous substances in EEE at the design stage and is a CE marking directive. WEEE governs the end-of-life collection, treatment and recycling of EEE through producer responsibility. Products must comply with both. Does WEEE apply to batteries sold separately? Batteries are primarily governed by the [EU Batteries Regulation](/regulations/eu-batteries), which has its own producer responsibility and collection targets. Equipment containing batteries falls under WEEE for the equipment and under batteries law for the battery. What happens to WEEE fees if I over-report? Fees are calculated on reported quantities, so over-reporting costs money and under-reporting risks back-charges and penalties. Accurate sales-to-weight data processes are the fix for both. Can I use one compliance scheme for the whole EU? No single scheme covers all member states, though some scheme groups operate across several countries. You need registration in each member state, whether through schemes or national registers. ## Sources - EU WEEE rules - EU RoHS Directive overview - EU packaging waste rules