The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations (2006/3289) are to come into force on 2 January 2007. The Regulations implement the provisions of the WEEE Directive in the UK.

The WEEE Directive (2002/95/EC) sets out that producers of electrical and electronic equipment ("EEE") must meet the costs of collection, recycling and treatment of WEEE and creates certain obligations for distributors and retailers of EEE. The deadline for Member States to implement the Directive was 13 August 2005. The UK has missed this deadline by over a year.

The WEEE Regulations have not been materially amended from the draft version released for consultation in July 2006. Of note, the Regulations do not provide for a visible fee on EEE for the cost of end-of-life waste management. The timetable for implementation remains the same and key dates for producers are as follows:

  • 15 March 2007: Deadline for producers to register with producer compliance schemes.
  • 1 April 2007: Producers must ensure all EEE placed on the market after this date is appropriately marked (with the crossed out wheelie bin, date code and producer mark).
  • 1 July 2007: Start of full producer and producer compliance scheme obligations; deadline for establishing take-back systems for household WEEE.

The final version of the accompanying guidance notes is expected to be published in early 2007.

This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq

Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.

The original publication date for this article was 19/12/2006.