Become a member
Become a member

Regulations

WEEE

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is regulated by the European Directive 2012/19/EU namely Legislative Decree 49/2014. Several Ministerial Decrees are associated with this Decree, defining its implementation aspects.

WEEE is divided into household and professional categories based on their use and is classified into 5 groups:

TEMPERATURE EXCHANGE EQUIPMENT WITH FLUIDS

OTHER LARGE
WHITE GOODS

TVs AND MONITORS

IT AND CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, LIGHTING EQUIPMENT, AND OTHERS

LIGHT SOURCES

The National WEEE system is based on a model regulated by the National WEEE Coordination Center that involves various stakeholders, each with specific responsibilities, united by the same objective: to collaborate in terms of circular economy to promote sustainable development of the electronic waste sector in our country.

The Citizen

The citizen or consumer collects their non-functioning electrical and electronic equipment or those they wish to dispose of separately, delivering them free of charge to their Municipal collection center or returning them to an EEE retailer through two collection methods: 1-for-1 and 1-for-0.

Find your collection center HERE

The Producer/Importer

The responsibility for managing electronic waste is legally assigned to EEE producers/importers, who bear the cost by dividing the total based on the quantities of EEE placed on the market in the previous calendar year. The funding of the entire electronic waste recycling system is charged to the consumer through the eco-contribution, paid at the time of purchasing a new product.

Collective System

The Collective Systems handle the recovery of WEEE collected from municipal collection centers and gathering points and their transport to specialized treatment facilities certified by the WEEE Coordination Center, which perform recycling and material recovery activities to obtain secondary raw materials for reintroduction into new production processes.

Batteries and accumulators

On August 18, 2023, the new Regulation on batteries and battery waste (EU) 2023/1542 came into force and became applicable from February 18, 2024. The Regulation applies to all battery categories, namely portable batteries, starting, lighting, or ignition batteries (automotive batteries), light means of transport batteries, electric vehicle batteries, and industrial batteries, regardless of their form, volume, weight, design, material composition, chemical composition, use, or purpose.

From 2024, the categories have increased from three to five, distinguishing batteries according to the following definitions:

Portable battery: a sealed battery weighing 5 kg or less, not specifically designed for industrial use and that is neither an electric vehicle battery, nor a light means of transport battery, nor an automotive battery;

Electric vehicle battery: a battery specifically designed to provide electric power for the traction of hybrid or electric vehicles of category L as provided for in Regulation (EU) No. 168/2013, weighing more than 25 kg, or the battery specifically designed to provide electric power for traction in hybrid or electric vehicles of categories M, N or O, as provided for in Regulation (EU) 2018/858;

Light means of transport battery (LMT): a battery that is sealed, weighs 25 kg or less, and is specifically designed to provide electric power for the traction of wheeled vehicles that can be powered exclusively by an electric motor or by a combination of motor and human power, including type-approved vehicles of category L under Regulation (EU) No. 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1), and which is not an electric vehicle battery;

Starting, lighting and ignition battery (SLI) or automotive battery: a battery specifically designed to provide electric power for starting, lighting, or ignition and which can also be used for auxiliary or backup purposes in vehicles, other means of transport, or machinery;

Industrial battery: a battery specifically designed for industrial uses, intended for industrial use after being prepared for repurposing or repurposed, or any other battery weighing more than 5 kg that is neither an electric vehicle battery, nor a light means of transport battery, nor an automotive battery.

The battery collection system is based on a model regulated by the National Battery and Accumulator Coordination Center that involves various stakeholders, each with specific responsibilities, united by the same objective: to collaborate in terms of circular economy to promote sustainable development of the battery sector in our country.

The Citizen

Portable batteries (or more correctly, portable batteries and accumulators), once their life cycle is exhausted, must not be disposed of with unsorted waste, but collected separately and properly recycled. The citizen or consumer collects spent batteries separately delivering them free of charge to their Municipal collection center, or they can deliver their spent batteries to retailers who will collect them free of charge without the obligation to purchase new ones.

The Producer/Importer

Anyone who places new batteries and accumulators on the Italian market is required to take responsibility for managing waste derived from these types of products once they reach end-of-life. This responsibility can be managed individually or collectively by joining with other battery and accumulator producers to implement the collection system.

Collective System

The Collective Systems handle the recovery of batteries and accumulators collected from municipal collection centers and gathering points and their transport to specialized treatment facilities certified by CDCNPA, which perform recycling and material recovery activities to obtain secondary raw materials for reintroduction into new production processes.

Become a member

Choose to be part of an accredited system that guarantees assistance, professionalism, and transparency, as more than 1,000 member companies have already done

Join
Diventa socio
Become a member