Consumer equipment
“Consumer equipment” covers the kind of product normally used in a household, which can be expected to at some point turn into household waste. The classification of a product is decided by its function. For example, computers and television sets are always classed as consumer equipment regardless of where they are used.
The main features for anyone placing consumer equipment on the Swedish market:
- Join an approved collection system (El-Kretsen)
- Report annual statistics to the Swedish EPA (undertaken by El-Kretsen)
- Supply information to consumers (with help from and reference to El-Kretsen)
- Label products with the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol
- Create information on how to remove integrated batteries
- Accept WEEE on a “one-to-one” basis, or if your retail area for electronics >400 square metres, accept all kinds of small electrical equipment
The collection system reports the quantities collected and treated by its affiliated producers to the Swedish EPA. If you have signed a reporting agreement with El-Kretsen, we can also report your sales volumes to the EPA at no extra charge.
You can find the legislation in its entirety here (in Swedish).
You declare your sales volumes, we do the collecting
At El-Kretsen our mission is to help you fulfil your producer responsibility. We are happy to share our knowledge and provide any advice we can to make sure that your company knows what we can assist you with and which aspects of the producer responsibility every producer needs to undertake individually.
When you join El-Kretsen, you become part of the national collection system. You will declare the volumes you have sold and we will deal with the collection of your products and batteries at the end of their useful life. Through our co-operation with all of Sweden’s 290 municipalities, around 15 transport companies and some 30 recycling facilities, we control the entire recycling chain, and our nationally approved collection system guarantees that the WEEE is treated in an environmentally sustainable and efficient way.
Having our own analysis facility enables us to analyse the products we collect. For example, we can identify trends and changes over time, material composition and the proportions of hazardous materials.
Fees and charges
El-Kretsen’s price list for producers lists the annual fees relating to different agreements as well as the environmental fees for products and batteries. The latter have been divided into product categories with individual codes to provide fair fees that represent the actual cost related to the different categories. The size of monitors and screens, for example, plays an important role in the cost of both transport and recycling, and this is reflected in the price list. These fees are paid when a product is placed on the market and the money is used for the collection and treatment of the WEEE that comes in. It is not unusual for these products to be between 10 and 15 years old.
You can read more about our fees here.
The Declaration Portal – everything in one place
As our customer you get your own Declaration Portal. Here, we have gathered all kinds of facts ranging from information on product classification to certificates, agreements and statistics. This is also where you do your monthly or quarterly reporting.
To join, please fill in a customer application. Once your application has been approved, you will receive your log-in details for the Declaration Portal so that you can log in and enter into the agreement(s) of your choice. This will then enable you to access your certificates, which you will need to be able to register with the Swedish EPA.
The Swedish EPA, Naturvårdsverket, is the responsible supervisory authority, and it charges an annual fee from all producers. For more guidance on producer responsibility, and to register your company, please visit their website.
Do you export electrical and electronic equipment? Find out more here.
Affiliate to El-Kretsen
To join, please fill in a customer application.