Waste electrical and electronic equipment - WEEE

Large businesses

Self-employed

SMEs

Businesses producing or importing electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) must finance the collection, treatment, recovery and ecological disposal of waste from equipment sold in Luxembourg.

In principle, final sellers and fitters must take back waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) free of charge from their customers when they purchase a new piece of similar equipment.

The business can choose to fulfil this obligation either individually (by registering with the Environment Agency) or by joining an approved collective scheme (currently Ecotrel).

Who is concerned

The obligation to take back waste electrical and electronic equipment applies to:

EEE producers and importers established in Luxembourg which:
- manufacture and sell electrical and electronic equipment under their own brand name;
- resell equipment produced by other suppliers under their own brand name;
- import or export electrical or electronic equipment on a professional basis;
foreign businesses providing EEE directly to users established in Luxembourg;
distributors, final sellers and fitters of EEE if they import it directly from abroad for the Luxembourg market.

How to proceed

Obligations with respect to WEEE

Producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment must finance the collection, treatment, recovery and ecological disposal of WEEE resulting from their business activities.

In order to do so they must:

when selling equipment that can also be used in households (e.g. microwave oven, computer):
- take out specific insurance, or;
- transfer a provision to a blocked account, or;
- join a collective WEEE management scheme;
when selling professional equipment: (e.g. vending machines, medical scanner):
- ensure, where applicable, the collection and treatment of an equivalent piece of used equipment, and;
- anticipate the financing of the collection and treatment of the equipment sold when it becomes waste, unless agreed otherwise with the client;
inform the Environment Agency each year by 30 April at the latest:
- of the quantities of EEE put on the market;
- of the quantities of WEEE collected and treated, and;
- of the recovery rates actually achieved.

In principle, distributors, end sellers or fitters must take back equivalent used equipment free of charge from their customers (private or professional) or inform them of the existing collection possibilities.

Individual WEEE management system

Businesses that opt for an individual WEEE management system must register with the Environment Agency.

In order to do so they must:

deposit a bank guarantee covering WEEE management;
complete their registration application on the Environment agency's website and indicate the following:
- the types of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) put on the market;
- the collection systems used;
- the amount of the bank guarantee and the means of financing;
- the service providers chosen for the treatment, recycling and disposal of WEEE;
send it to the Environment Agency along with the required documents.

Collective WEEE management scheme

All producers and/or importers have the option of either fulfilling their WEEE management obligations themselves or calling on an approved entity to do so.

Ecotrel is the only approved entity in Luxembourg capable of meeting the requirements imposed by the directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

In concrete terms, producers or importers of EEE that wish to become Ecotrel members must send an accession agreement in 2 copies and an identification form by mail, fax or e-mail to Ecotrel.

Once membership has been approved, the business will receive a signed copy of the agreement, their membership number and the user ID and password required to complete declarations electronically.

Producers and importers who are Ecotrel members will charge their final consumers a recycling fee on each piece of equipment sold.

These fees are then transferred to Ecotrel in order to contribute to the cost of treating WEEE.

Businesses opting for a collective WEEE management scheme by becoming a member of Ecotrel are automatically registered with the Environment Agency by Ecotrel.