the role of the DTS
The UK WEEE Regulations offer two options to retailers (referred to as 'distributors') selling electronic and electrical equipment to members of the public. They can either offer free of charge one-for-one in-store take back or they can join the distributor take back scheme (DTS). In December 2006 the Government announced the appointment of Valpak Retail WEEE Services Ltd, a subsidiary of Valpak Ltd., as the operator of the DTS for phase 1 (until December 2009) following a competitive tender process. Formal appointment followed on 5 April 2007.

In the period following formal approval, Valpak set about registering retailers as members of the DTS and using their membership fees to support an "adequate network" of WEEE collection facilities at household waste recycling centres (formally known as civic amenity or CA sites - also known as Household Waste Recycling Centres, and occasionally erroneously referred to as 'the tip' or 'the dump') and other collection facilities that allow consumers to deposit their WEEE for recycling away other waste. By registering and supporting this network the DTS is meeting the obligation placed on members to offer a free recycling route to their customers.

membership
At the end of 'phase 1' the DTS has in excess of 2,850 members, all of whom have contributed toward the £10m fund required by the UK regulations in phase 1 to make the scheme a success. This membership is made up of all types of retailer, from large high street chains, supermarkets, and department stores to independent electrical specialists, hardware stores, garden centres and even local grocers. This membership covers over 75% of all sales of electrical equipment in the UK and includes retail giants such as Comet, Home Retail Group (including Argos and Homebase), Tesco, Sainsbury, ASDA, John Lewis, Amazon and Selfridges as well as smaller retailers, many of whom belong to trade associations such as retra, BSSA, HTA and BHF.

the Designated Collection Facility network and Local Authorities
Despite the extremely tight timescales involved in the final implementation of the UK WEEE Regulations, all of the 208 Local Authorities in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Councils in Scotland have now registered all of their recycling centres as Designated Collection Facilities (DCFs) for WEEE. Of the £10m collected from DTS members, the vast majority has also been distributed to these Local Authorities and Councils to assist in improving their sites for members of the public to be able to deposit WEEE for recycling.

As it stands today, every one of the 1,123 recycling centres in the UK now collects WEEE, which means that every DTS member from John'o'Groats to Lands End (including the Scilly Isles!) can point their customers to their local recycling centre network safe in the knowledge that their equipment can be collected there for recycling - and that their financial contribution assisted in making this the case. Added to that a further 420 geographical locations have been registered as DCFs, including LA depots for bulky waste collection and those operated by the not for profit and charity sector, retailers and commercial enterprises. All material from all DCFs is recycled at the cost of the producers of this equipment.

Consumer Information Obligation (CIO)
In addition to collecting funding from retailers and distributing this to Local Authorities and Councils, Valpak have also been busy assisting DTS members and their customer facing staff in getting used to the requirement to educate the public as to the availability of recycling points for electronic waste. This requirement is know as a Consumer Information Obligation (CIO) and is a requirement placed on all retailers, whether they are members of the DTS or are offering free instore take-back. This assistance is achieved though an information service hosted on the dedicated DTS members' area of the Valpak website, along with a range of virtual and physical marketing material.

www.recycle-more.co.uk, the portal by which Valpak is assisting DTS members in meeting their CIO, receives approximately 23,000 hits that are attributable to DTS activity each month. Furthermore, in excess of 16,000 branded window stickers have now been distributed to those members who wish to use them to assist in meeting their CIO.

phase 1 costs - Band B and C retailers
Retailers who sell a relatively small quantity of EEE will pay a fixed fee determined by their EEE sales in the previous calendar year. These fees are detailed in the table below:

phase 1 costs - Band A retailers
The fees payable by retailers who sell in excess of £1.5m of EEE is proportional to the number of units sold in the previous calendar year. The fees payable to join the DTS are detailed in the table below:

WEEE category - equipment type
1a. Large household appliances - excluding cooling appliances containing refrigerants
1b. Cooling appliances containing refrigerants
2. Small household appliances
3a. IT and telecommunications equipment - excluding display equipment
3b. IT and telecommunications equipment - Display equipment only
4a. Consumer equipment - excluding display equipment
4b. Consumer equipment - Display equipment only
5a. Lighting equipment - excluding Gas Discharge Lamps
5b. Gas Discharge Lamps
6. Electrical and electronic tools
7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
8. Medical devices
9. Monitoring and control instruments
10. Automatic dispensers

joining the DTS in phase 1
To join the scheme in phase 1 (until 31 December only), all retailers must complete the online DTS Registration forms. If your operations before 15 March 2007 would not have classified you as a distributor, please contact us at info@valpak.co.uk

the DTS in phase 2
Valpak has been re-appointed to operate the DTS by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) under the WEEE Regulations for the next three year phase (phase 2), which lasts from January 2010 to December 2012. To find out more about the DTS in phase 2, please click here »