What does producer responsibility mean?

Producers of electrical and electronic equipment are responsible for organising the recycling and waste management resulting from their products placed on the market.

Based on the European Union WEEE directive, the Finnish waste legislation prescribes that the producer of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) organises the recycling and waste management of the waste arising from the products placed on the market by the producer and is liable for the costs of the waste management. Producer responsibility entered into force on 13 August 2005.

Producer responsibility obliges, for example, the producers of EE-appliances and batteries and accumulators.

Detailed information on producer responsibility and up-to-date information can be found on Environmental administration's pages.

A producer must:

• Organise separate collection of collectible waste electrical and electronic equipment, necessary storage and delivery to preliminary treatment plants. In addition, the network of reception points must be so comprehensive that the end-user of the product has a reasonable nationwide possibility to hand over the product for recycling, re-use etc, to the waste management system.
• To equip products placed on the market after 18 August 2005 with a marking indicating the producer of the equipment with a separate mark and a marking indicating that the product was placed on the market after 18 August 2005.
• To provide pre-processing plants and household equipment users with information on the collection systems and locations and to provide the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Pirkanmaa annual information about products placed on the market and the accrual of products put out of use.
• To submit an application to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Pirkanmaa for registration in the producer file, including information about the reception site network and agreements related to waste management organisation.
• To give sufficient collateral to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Pirkanmaa for equipment used in households, such as recycling guarantee or a closed bank account, for fulfilling the waste management obligations.

The easiest way to fulfil our obligations?

The easiest way for a company to fulfil its obligations is to join a producer organisation. Elker Ltd takes care of the producer obligations on behalf of the producer organisations SELT Association, ICT Producer cooperative and FLIP Association.

Producer organisations organise on behalf of its member companies competitive bidding for collection point, transport, recycling, reporting, and waste management services, and conclude agreements about them with municipalities and businesses of the industry. Established by three producer organisations, service company Elker Ltd takes care of these obligations in practice.

You can check all WEEE producer organisations and and producers accepted in Finland on Environmental administrations' pages.

Producer responsibility for portable batteries and accumulators placed on the Finnish market is taken care of by making a transfer agreement with battery and accumulator producer organisation Recser Ltd. The obligation covers both batteries and accumulators inside appliances as well as batteries and accumulators imported/manufactured separately. Recser's pages here.

Elker currently provides the possibility to take care of the producer obligations of WEEE and batteries and accumulators in 14 other EU countries.