Upon EEE Producers: 

Italian Legislative Decree 151/2005 implementing directive 2002/96/EC and 2002/95/EC sets two different schemes for the management and financing of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), when these products become waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), depending on their classification: WEEE from private households (B2C) or WEEE from users other than private households (B2B). 

To classify WEEE from private households and WEEE from users other than private households, irrespectively of technical features or standard functions of the product, it is necessary to consider its final destination, in other words it is necessary to identify who will be the waste final holder.

Only those equipments that are not equivalent to WEEE from private households (for type, function and treatment procedure) can be considered WEEE from users other than private households. For example, a personal computer to be disposed of shall be considered a WEEE from private households even if it is sold to a professional user, since it is equivalent to any personal computer sold to private users.

Nevertheless, there are several obligations upon EEE producers which are applicable to both WEEE classifications:

• enrolment in the National Register of EEE Producers;
• yearly communication to the National Register of the amount of EEE placed on the market;
• obligation to treat WEEE according to environmentally sound treatment techniques;
• obligation/faculty to join a collective take-back scheme for the management of WEEE
• obligation to mark electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market with the symbol of the “recycle bin”
• obligation to inform users concerning correct management and disposal of WEEE
• obligation to indicate the number of enrolment to the National Register in all commercial documents;

Upon EEE Distributors: 

When supplying a new product, distributors shall be responsible for ensuring that a WEEE can be returned to the distributor at least free of charge on a one-to-one basis as long as the equipment is of equivalent type and has fulfilled the same functions as the supplied equipment.

All the equipments collected shall be disposed of by the distributors through Public Collection Points. 

Public Collection Points should guarantee the accessibility and the functioning of the infrastructures and should allow final users and distributors to dispose of WEEE free of charge. 

Upon EEE final users:

Final users/holders of WEEE from private households shall dispose of it through Public Collection Points. Only when buying a new equivalent EEE, the holder can return the WEEE free of charge to the distributor.

Penalties for illegal dismantling of WEEE are severe.

Find the closest Public Collection Points.

Upon Municipalities (WEEE): 

Legislative decree 151/2005 requires Municipalities to ensure the functioning, the accessibility and the suitability of the public collection points for WEEE from private households so as to allow final holders and distributors  to dispose of them free of charge.

The new legislative decree therefore introduces a substantial change in the WEEE management according to which each local government should organize the collection of the electronic waste. 

Upon batteries and accumulators producers

Legislative decree 188/2008 implementing directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators establishes a general prohibition to place into the market batteries and accumulators containing extremely polluting substances and sets several obligations upon producers:

• Prohibition to place into the market batteries and accumulators containing more than 0.0005% of mercury by weight, containing more of 0.002% of cadmium by weight;
• Obligation to mark batteries and accumulators placed on the market with the symbol of the “recycle bin” and to also indicate the capacity of all portable and automotive batteries and accumulators;
• organization on collective or individual base of take back schemes for portable batteries and accumulators;
• organization of the separate collection for automotive and/or industrial batteries and accumulators as to cover all the national territory;
• enrolment to the National Register of Batteries and Accumulators Producers;
• obligation to communicate yearly to the National Register the amount of batteries and accumulators placed on the market by category;
• obligation to indicate the number of enrolment to the National Register in all commercial documents;

Upon batteries and accumulators distributors

The distributor shall collect in the points of sale batteries and accumulators free of charge. Users are not obliged to buy new products when returning waste batteries and accumulators.

Upon final users of batteries and accumulators

Final users can dispose of automotive batteries and accumulators used in private vehicles through Public Collection Points free of charge and without any obligation to buy new equivalent products.