The science and innovation minister, Malcolm Wicks, today announced the appointment of the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) as the enforcement body for the distributor obligations under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations.
Other contenders for the work are thought to have included trading standards officers – seen by some as the most obvious choice; the Environment Agency; and the National Weights and Measures Laboratory.
Mr Wicks said: “This agency has an important role to play in ensuring that distributors comply with their obligations under the WEEE Regulations. Free-riding will not be tolerated, and a robust process will be in place to serve notice and ultimately prosecute distributors who are unwilling to become compliant.
“From 1 July, this agency will also make sure that retailers and distributors of electrical equipment play their part in helping household users dispose of WEEE at the end of life, as well as market surveillance and inspections.”
Free of charge
The DTI confirmed that after 1 July, distributors of electrical and electronic equipment will have to provide facilities for their customers to return old electrical equipment free of charge when they buy a replacement item. Distributors, including distance sellers, have two options:
- They can either join the Distributor Takeback Scheme (DTS) which supports a network of primarily local authority collection points where customers can return their waste electricals.
- Or they can allow customers to bring goods back to the store.
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Whether members of the DTS or providing takeback in store, distributors also have to make information available to consumers on how they can dispose of WEEE and the environmental benefits of doing so.
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