Future and Historic WEEE
The difference between ‘future’ and ‘historic’ WEEE products hinges on whether the product was placed on the market before or after 13th August 2005. After this date, (‘future’ WEEE) as already stated the producer is required to finance the collection, treatment and environmentally sound disposal of products – these products are identified by a black line underneath the crossed out wheelie bin symbol. For products placed on the market before 13th August 2005 (‘historic’ WEEE), the producer is only liable if the end user is purchasing a ‘like for like’ replacement product.

Financing Household Products
The mechanism for financing the recycling depends on whether the product is classed as a household or business product.

For ‘future’ WEEE household products the end user can take them to their local civic amenity site for free recycling.  For historic products the end user is entitled to take them to the distributor of the new product, who will either offer an in store take back service free-of-charge or direct them to a local civic amenity site.

The producer is required to join a government registered compliance scheme and pay a fee that contributes to the running of civic amenity centres. 

Financing Business Products
For business products, providing there’s a system in place to finance the recycling, there are   no fixed rules. However, business producers are legally required to join a compliance scheme and it is this scheme that can tell you how the producer handles their financial obligations.