Information responsibility

You will find our owners listed on the web page About El-Kretsen – Our Owners.

A list of our affiliated producers of WEEE and/or Batteries can be found on the page Affiliated Companies. This list is automatically updated to make sure the information is correct.

Information on the basic annual fees can be found on the web page Fees and Charges together with an account of the environmental fees. The environmental fees have been split up and coded separately in order to achieve a fee that is fair in relation to the actual costs incurred by different product groups (based on the costs of collection, transport and recycling). Affiliated companies will find the price list in its entirety on the Declaration Portal.

WEEE is divided into different fractions depending on the different processes used for collection, transport and recycling. Our subcontractors are selected using parameters such as the most efficient logistics with respect to geographical spread; quality and certification; and the need for specialised processes. The requirements we have of those who handle the collected materials are that the WEEE is handled in accordance with the European standards WEEELabex or Cenelec; that all flows are reported using the reporting tool Reptool; and that all our partners adhere to the CECED (European Committee of Domestic Equipment Manufacturers) code of conduct. You can read more about this in our Sustainability Report.

Descriptions of the extent to which we reach the recycling targets and how we work with recycling can be found in the Sustainability Report in the section “Focus and results”. We strive to reach the recycling targets by placing requirements on our subcontractors and maintaining an ongoing dialogue (see bullet point 4).

The section Reuse and Recycling on our website includes a description of different reuse cycles. Here, we also state that at El-Kretsen, we would like our recycling vessels to only contain products that are really at the end of their useful lives. The website www.sopor.nu contains information on reuse and how to prevent waste creation. The best waste prevention is that which takes place before an item reaches El-Kretsen’s collections. For this reason, we have revised our agreements with Swedish municipalities and now require that municipal collection points actively promote EEE reuse including developing suitable ways to achieve this goal.

Swedish municipalities are in charge of collecting consumer WEEE. They are also responsible for informing residents of their obligation to sort WEEE and other hazardous waste separately from general waste products. This is motivated by an explanation that both batteries and electrical and electronic products (EEE) may contain hazardous substances which must be handled separately. More information on WEEE can be found on El-Kretsen’s different media channels and on www.sopor.nu.

The municipalities will provide general advice as well as the addresses to specific collection points where different kinds of WEEE can be deposited locally. The website www.sopor.nu is preparing to launch a new search function for recycling collection points. With time, this will also be stretched to include recycling centres.

El-Kretsen’s Sustainability Report includes information on how much WEEE has been collected and how it has been treated and recovered (broken down by category). Our website with information for the public, called “Kunskapsrummet”, (The Sustainability Library)  also features product studies and more in-depth articles on rare metals, plastics and other subjects (in Swedish only).

El-Kretsen works actively to ensure quality as well as secure handling of personal data. We use tools like the environmental management systems ISO 14001 and 9001; regular reporting of inconsistencies; and agreements, requirements and follow-up reporting on all our subcontracted collectors, transporters, pre-treatment facilities and recycling facilities. El-Kretsen’s carriers (crates and cages) all have ID tags to make sure that no collected WEEE is shipped off illegally. All items placed in El-Kretsen’s collection vessels are classed as waste and will be forwarded for recycling. The electronics (including mobile phones) picked up at El-Kretsen’s many collection points are transported straight to the pre-treatment subcontractors. There, the products are taken apart and sorted into different fractions such as plastic, metals, components, etc. All kinds of memory functions such as memory cards, hard disks, etc, are fragmented or the data is deleted using quality-assured tools to guarantee the successful removal of all information.

In addition to our co-operation project with Swedish municipalities, El-Kretsen also spreads information in other ways and through other channels such as the information website www.sopor.nu (see the section below).

Ways for producers to make this information available may be on their websites or in their annual reports, referring to El-Kretsen as the source of such information.

The components and the materials that make up the equipment as well as where in the equipment users can expect to find hazardous substances. The producer must also provide the information necessary for the equipment to be handled and treated in a way that is acceptable with respect to health and the environment.

Within one year of placing this equipment on the market, the above information must be made available free of charge to those who treat WEEE. The information should be made available in the form of manuals or through electronic media.

If the producer is an affiliated member of a producer responsibility organisation such as El-Kretsen, they do not need to make this information available on their website.

Information equivalent to the information mentioned in § 86 (points 1-5, see below) is made available to users that are not private households.

1. the meaning of the labelling referred to in § 38, (the crossed-out wheelie bin),
2. the obligation to sort and handle WEEE separately from other kinds of waste,
3. the reason for handling WEEE separately from other kinds of waste,
4. the importance of handling electrical equipment and WEEE in an appropriate manner with respect to the effect hazardous substances can have on people’s health and the environment,
5. the importance of reducing littering,

This information should be presented and made available in such a way that it is easily understood and reaches anyone who can be assumed to want to deposit WEEE through a producer.

…and which is covered by the requirement in § 35 must make sure that the electrical equipment is accompanied by a manual showing what kind of battery is fitted inside the equipment and how it can be safely removed.

The regulations do not state whether such a manual must be provided in printed form or if referring to or linking to, for example, a QR code on the product is considered an acceptable alternative.

This information should be presented and made available in such a way that it is easily understood and reaches anyone who can be assumed to want to deposit WEEE through a producer or a producer responsibility organisation.

This information may be provided in digital format and should be made available on producer websites and/or locally as information posted at collection points.