RETAILERS LOOKING FOR an alternative to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which oblige them to take back old equipment when a customer buys a new equivalent, can join the Distributor Take-back Scheme (DTS), operated by Valpak Retail WEEE Services (VRWS).
The DTS is the only scheme which allows members an alternative to offering take-back for all WEEE categories, except for photovoltaic solar (PV) panels, which have a separate scheme.
If retail businesses do accept WEEE products from household consumers, they become responsible for the storage and disposal of these products, not the household consumer.
To become a member of the DTS, retail businesses must pay a fee that goes towards supporting recycling centres run by local authorities. The fee ranges from £60 + VAT to more than £190 + VAT and depends on how much electrical and electronic equipment they sell.
With DTS retailers do not have to take back, store nor dispose of any waste electrical and electronic equipment. They will still need to provide information to consumers about WEEE recycling and keep a record of what information is given about where electrical and electronic waste should be taken.
The DTS runs in 3-year phases and we are in Phase 4, which started on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2019. The DTS membership fees cover this 3-year period. For more, click on the button below.