Producer responsibility for electronics

‘Dependent on electric currents’ means that this equipment cannot fulfil its purpose if the current or field is disconnected.

This may be, for instance, a petrol-driven generator driving electrical hand tools on a construction site, a wind turbine, a fuel cell, or a solar panel.

In the transmission of electric currents or electromagnetic fields, cables, antennas, switches, etc. are used. Therefore, this type of equipment is covered just like any other electrical and electronic equipment.

Voltmeters, radars, and magnetic field meters. Whether equipment is active or passive plays NO role. Active means equipment using currents to work properly, while passive equipment receives or registers electric currents or electromagnetic impulses. An active product is, for instance, an antenna with integrated amplifier, where the passive equivalent would be the antenna without this amplifier.

Components or semi-products are parts integrated in the production of electrical equipment or used as spare parts in the repair of electrical equipment. Components are generally not subject to producer responsibility.

A PC consists of a number of components such as power supply, graphics card, motherboard, sound card, hard disk, RAM, CPU, etc. incorporated in a case.  When the different parts are sold in large volumes (bulk) to a company that exclusively uses the parts to assemble and sell finished computers the different parts are considered as components. The finished PC is then covered by the rules on producer responsibility.

If, however, the parts are sold separately to an end user (retail packs) they are all considered as finished products and thereby covered by the rules on producer responsibility. If the parts are sold in disassembled form the assembly kit is considered as a finished product, thereby covered by the rules on producer responsibility.

Other equipment that is typically used together with the PC, such as screen, keyboard, mouse, external hard disk, or external CD drive are also considered as finished products in their own right and are covered by producer responsibility. This also applies to drivers for loudspeakers.

Read more about scoping of equipment covered by legislation (WEEE)

Temperature exchange equipment is electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) with internal circuits where substances other than water – e.g. gas, oil, refrigerants, or a secondary fluid – are used for the purpose of cooling and/or heating and/or dehumidifying.

This may be refrigerators, freezers, equipment automatically delivering cold products, air-conditioning equipment, dehumidifying equipment, heat pumps, radiators containing oil and other temperature exchange equipment using fluids other than water for the temperature exchange.

Screens and monitors are EEE intended to provide images and information on an electronic display – regardless of its dimensions – such as cathode ray tubes (CTR), liquid-crystal displays (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, and other types of electronic displays.  In addition, the directive mentions under category 2 other equipment containing screens having a surface greater than 100 cm2. Not all equipment having a surface greater than 100 cm2 falls under category 2. Only EEE where the screen’s surface is greater than 100 cm2 and where the main purpose is to display images and information on the screen belongs to category 2.

Equipment such as laptops, notebooks, tablets, e-readers with a screen surface greater than 100 cm2 belongs to category 2, while this is not the case for washing machines, refrigerators, printers, mobile phones (smartphones, phablets etc.) even if their screen surface is greater than 100 cm2, as their main purpose is not to display information on a screen.

Light sources irrespective of size is “equipment for the generation of light” – in other words electrical light sources (including LED light sources, but not LED luminaires) that are solely intended for fitting in other equipment.

At least one external dimension more than 50 cm. EEE that is not under category 1, 2, or 3.

Any external dimension more than 50 cm. The external dimensions of the equipment must be measured in a state where equipment is ready to use. For correct measurement of the equipment, see under 3 (“EEE measurement method”)

No external dimension more than 50 cm, EEE that is not under category 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6.

The measurement of dimensions follows the same definition as given above under category 4. Following this, if the largest external dimension is 50 cm or less and it is not IT and telecommunication equipment, it complies with the definition of category 5.

EEE that is not under category 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. IT equipment is equipment that can be used for collecting, transmitting, processing, storing, and showing information.

Telecommunication equipment is equipment designed to transmit signals – voice, video, and data – electronically over a certain distance. The measurement of dimensions follows the same definition as given above under category 5. So, if the equipment is IT and telecommunication equipment it complies with the definition of category 6.

Photovoltaic panels are intended to be used in a system that is designed, assembled, and installed by professionals for permanent use at a defined location to produce energy from solar light for public, commercial, industrial, and residential applications.

Electrical and electronic equipment that may be used in private households, including equipment of the same type and volume as used in private and public institutions and businesses. At the end of its useful life such equipment will typically end up at a municipal recycling centre.

Electrical and electronic equipment specifically manufactured for use in private and public institutions and businesses and being electrical and electronic equipment that is not for use in private households. The user is responsible for the management of his/her end-of-life equipment and takes it either back to the producer or directly to an environmentally approved recycling facility.

• producing electrical equipment or having such equipment produced and selling this equipment in their own name/brand on the Danish market.
• importing electrical equipment from the EU or from outside the EU and selling this equipment on the Danish market.

• distance selling electrical equipment from an EU member state (incl. EFTA and EEA countries except for Switzerland) directly to end-users in Denmark. Such businesses must register with an authorised representative in Denmark.
• distance selling electrical equipment from outside the EU (incl. Switzerland) directly to end-users in Denmark.