Guidance

Collection of household waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) from designated collection facilities (DCFs): code of practice

Updated 18 September 2025

1. WEEE code of practice: who it applies to

This code applies to: 

• operators of approved designated collection facilities (DCFs) 
• approved WEEE producer compliance schemes (PCSs)

This code only covers household WEEE (business to consumer WEEE). See the guidance on how to correctly identify business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) electrical and electronic equipment and WEEE.

A DCF operator:

• is responsible for the whole site
• holds the DCF approval
• holds the relevant environmental permits and exemptions

This could be a local authority or waste management operator.

2. WEEE code of practice: when it does not apply

This code does not cover:

• the relationship between DCF operators and the Distributor Takeback Scheme
• household waste recycling centre provision or the upgrade needed to get approval to become a DCF
• DCF approval – see the guidance on getting Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) approval
• PCS approval – see the guidance on getting environmental regulator approval
• non-household WEEE (business to business WEEE)

3. Why you must meet the code

This code of practice is issued by Defra and sets out the rules on how the DCF and PCS partnership must operate. You must follow the rules in this code – it’s a condition of your DCF and PCS approval.

The UK and devolved governments have implemented a WEEE system to maximise the amount of WEEE sent for reuse and recycling.

In certain circumstances, producers of electrical and electronic equipment must take responsibility for proper treatment, reuse and recycling when it becomes waste. See the producer responsibility guidance for more details.

4. DCF operator responsibilities

You must:

• aim to maximise separate collection of WEEE
• provide sufficient space to collect the 7 waste streams separately (see section 4.1)
• provide suitable information and signage for the public
• manage the WEEE as waste unless the item is left at an area of a household waste recycling centre set aside for reuse
• give access free of charge to your contracted PCSs to collect all WEEE received, unless you are a local authority DCF with approval from Defra to retain specific collection streams
• not compact WEEE
• comply with Environment Agency appropriate measures guidance (if you’re based in England) and other applicable treatment standards

You must take steps to:

• prevent mixing WEEE with non-WEEE waste
• minimise contamination within separately collected WEEE, and ensure it is safe and can be transported and treated appropriately

Examples of contamination for each WEEE stream include:

• cooling equipment: food and organic waste
• all other WEEE: loose batteries, cardboard, plastic bags, out of scope lighting, scrap metal

You must get approval from your PCS to:

• contact an approved authorised treatment facility (AATF) to request collection
• remove any WEEE from the DCF site

4.1 WEEE collection streams

The 7 WEEE collection streams are:

• A – large household appliances
• B – display equipment
• C – cooling equipment
• D – lamps (excluding filament light bulbs)
• E – photovoltaic panels
• F – vapes and electronic cigarettes (devices in category 7.1 of Schedule 3)
• G – all other WEEE (also known as ‘small mixed WEEE’)

You must meet the hazardous waste rules when you deal with hazardous WEEE.

For large household appliances (A) and cooling equipment (C), you must provide space for containers or an impermeable surface.

For display equipment (B), lamps (D) and all other WEEE (G), you must provide space for containers of the appropriate type and size.

You must take steps to store de-humidifiers, water coolers and air conditioners with cooling equipment.

For photovoltaic panels, you do not have to provide dedicated space for collection as you’re unlikely to receive them from households in a big enough quantity. If you do receive these panels, they should be kept separate from other waste and you should contact your contracted PCS to arrange separate collection, treatment, recovery and sound environmental disposal.

Household items powered by solar (such as patio lamps) need to be put in the most appropriate collection stream.

For vapes and e-cigarettes (F), the PCS will supply an approved container.

You should collect microwaves, fans and heaters under stream G (all other WEEE), rather than stream A (large household appliances). This is because they might contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

If you’ve been unable to store WEEE in containers, your PCS (or its appointed contractor) is responsible for handling the WEEE off site.

If you cannot collect each of the 7 WEEE streams separately, you must get Defra approval to collect fewer streams. You:

• may collect large household appliances (A) and small mixed WEEE (G) together
• must separate display equipment (B) and lamps (D)
• must ensure cooling equipment (C) is easy to separate

You must provide Defra evidence to show:

• why you are restricted, such as lack of space
• the options you’ve explored, such as use of smaller containers or more frequent collection
• your local authority provides facilities for other WEEE streams that are accessible to all and offers an equivalent service

4.2 Reuse of whole items

You must work with your contracted PCSs to prioritise separate collection of suitable whole appliances for treatment for reuse.

The PCS and DCF operator must ensure suitable whole items go to legitimate reuse organisations who can:

• provide information on how they prepare the items for reuse (their downstream processes)
• meet all relevant legal requirements
• carry out testing operations
• carry out or arrange refurbishment
• guarantee reuse does happen
• produce formal confirmation of reuse

The holder of the material supply contract with the reuse operator is responsible for ensuring legitimate reuse takes place.

PCSs can offset whole items for reuse against their collection targets providing the WEEE has had evidence issued against it by an AATF.

4.3 DCF self clearance and treatment

If you’re a local authority DCF operator, you can retain responsibility for clearance of one or more WEEE collection streams and arrange your own treatment. You are financially responsible for these streams. You must ensure the WEEE is:

• transported legally
• treated by an AATF for reuse or recycling

By 31 January of the compliance year (calendar year) that you want to retain specific collection streams, you must tell Defra:

• the specific waste streams you will arrange for reuse and treatment
• the previous year’s tonnage you collected for those streams
• the details of the AATFs who will receive the WEEE
• contact details of the relevant local authority to answer queries

You must tell Defra every year you do this. Email Defra at weee@defra.gov.uk.

If you put this option in place, you cannot then get a PCS to collect this WEEE during the compliance year.

You must tell Defra the tonnage you collected in the compliance year by 31 January of the following year.

You must contract one or more PCSs to arrange clearance and treatment of the WEEE streams you do not retain yourself.

4.4 Choosing a PCS

When you select a PCS, you should check how it will:

• apply the waste hierarchy, in particular how it prioritises the reuse of whole WEEE
• meet your expected service level
• comply with this code of practice
• manage the order request and service delivery process
• manage the collection of, and provide you with the data you need to report to UK Waste Dataflow
• ensure the AATFs it uses will comply with environmental waste legislation
• advise to what extent your collections are needed when added to its existing collections to meet its own collection targets
• support you to educate and raise awareness of WEEE recycling to householders

By selecting a PCS to arrange and pay for clearance and treatment of WEEE streams, you should not expect or receive any further financial remuneration.

5. Contract between the DCF and PCS

To ensure the DCF site is cleared of WEEE, a DCF operator can have either:

• a single contract for all the WEEE streams it does not self treat
• more than one contract for specific WEEE streams

The DCF must have a contract with each PCS it uses. Defra and the environmental regulators are not involved in drawing up a contract.

The contract must be legally binding between the 2 parties. It may include:

• a service level agreement to maximise separate collection of WEEE
• an agreement to comply with the rules in this code – you may include additional clauses which go beyond the requirements if you both agree to them
• a commitment to prioritise the collection of whole items for reuse
• the details of all reuse companies where whole WEEE will be sent to be prepared for refurbishment and reuse
• the roles and responsibilities of the DCF and PCS
• liabilities for any loss or damage

The contract must not include a ceiling on the quantity of separately collected WEEE a PCS will collect. This is because a PCS must still collect and finance all the WEEE from their contracted DCFs even if it has achieved its collection target for the compliance year for any or every category of WEEE.

A local authority DCF operator can request clearance of its WEEE by any PCS if during the compliance year (or previous compliance year) the contract with its contracted PCS has either expired or been terminated and has not been renewed or replaced. The quantity available must be enough to ensure an acceptable environmental and commercial outcome.

The PCS requested to clear the WEEE may ask the DCF operator for evidence that the contract has expired or terminated before it arranges to clear the WEEE. The DCF operator must provide it to make their request for WEEE clearance valid.

Where a PCS fails to comply with a request to clear WEEE, the DCF should inform the relevant environmental regulator and provide evidence that their contract has expired or been terminated.

PCSs receiving this type of request must arrange clearance, or arrange with another PCS to clear on its behalf. The PCS does not have to clear any specific WEEE streams the DCF operator opted to self treat (see section 4.3 for details).

A DCF operator must tell Defra who its contracted PCSs are and if it changes the appointments. Email Defra at weee@defra.gov.uk.

6. Third party arrangements

If a local authority subcontracts its site operation to a waste management company or other organisation, the local authority remains responsible for ensuring:

• the appropriate environmental permit, exemption registration or environmental authorisation is in place
• compliance with the WEEE Regulations and this code of practice
• the correct authorisations are in place when the WEEE is transported from the site
• all separately collected WEEE is available to a PCS to collect for reuse or treatment
• it gets approval from Defra to retain specific WEEE collection streams for reuse and treatment at its own cost, in accordance with the regulations

The PCS contracted to the DCF is responsible for deciding which AATFs or approved exporters (AEs) will treat the separately collected WEEE.

If the waste management company or DCF operator also runs an AATF or AE, they must get advance agreement with the relevant PCS to have the WEEE treated at their AATF or AE site.

Evidence can only be issued on WEEE delivered from the DCF to the AATF where the PCS has agreed to this arrangement. See the WEEE evidence and national protocols guidance.

7. DCF: site practice

You must always observe health and safety requirements.

You must make sure each WEEE collection stream is separated and provide clear directions to the defined area with correctly labelled containers.

If possible, place the containers for small mixed WEEE and batteries close together to encourage householders to remove easily accessible batteries from electricals.

The PCS provides your containers free of charge for the contracted WEEE.

As the DCF operator, you will cover the cost of:

• containers for the WEEE you clear yourself
• running the site – for example, the layout, facilities, staff, training, and health and safety
• signs and public information, unless the PCS provides these under a separate arrangement

You must not do any treatment to the WEEE beyond sorting equipment for reuse. You must not remove any components from the equipment, such as:

• compressors from fridges
• motors from large appliances
• hard drives from computers
• cables and plugs

The only exception is where a health and safety risk assessment document requires specific action to mitigate risk. If the specified action is to remove any item or component from the WEEE, this should always be kept with the separate collection. You should then pass the item or component onto the assigned PCS for treatment at an AATF.

8. PCS responsibilities

You must work with a DCF operator to:

• maximise separate collection of WEEE
• prioritise collection of whole items that can be treated for reuse

You must adhere to the contract you have formed with the DCF operator. You must continue to collect WEEE from your contracted DCFs even if you’ve achieved your collection target for the compliance year in any or every WEEE category.

You must respond to a request from a local authority DCF site operator, or its contracted site operator, to clear its WEEE when its PCS or DCF contracts have expired or terminated. You can ask for proof of the expired or terminated contract to validate the request. You should check the quantity available for collection is enough to be environmentally and commercially viable. You must clear, or arrange for another PCS to clear, the WEEE within 5 working days of receiving a validated request.

You must give local authorities the information they need to meet their statutory reporting obligations on waste and recycling. This must be within one month from the end of the last collection month. Provide the information in electronic format unless you’re asked for paper copies.

8.1 WEEE collection containers

For WEEE that’s made available to you by a DCF, you must provide, maintain, refurbish and replace the containers at your cost. Containers must meet waste storage and transport of waste rules. Read the:

• duty of care requirements
• hazardous waste responsibilities

8.2 Transporting the WEEE

All separately collected WEEE must be taken to an AATF or AE for treatment.

You are responsible for the cost of transporting the WEEE. You may transport from one or more DCFs to a central transport point for:

• transport to an AATF
• an AATF to collect

You must comply with the waste duty of care and hazardous waste regulations.

You may use a contractor to move the WEEE but you will retain responsibility for its legal transportation.

8.3 WEEE treatment standards

All separately collected WEEE you clear from DCFs must be treated in line with best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques, or other applicable treatment standards.

9. Failure to meet the code

If you do not meet the rules set out in the code, you may:

• face enforcement action from Defra or your environmental regulator
• have your DCF or PCS approval cancelled

A DCF operator must try to resolve contractual failures directly with its PCS.

If the DCF and PCS cannot resolve their issues and their contract is terminated, the DCF operator should report the PCS to the appropriate environmental regulator. The report should include details of the contractual failure.

The environmental regulator may withdraw the PCS’s approval for failing to comply with this code.

The DCF will need to make a contract with an alternative PCS. Until the new contract is set up, a local authority DCF can ask any PCS to arrange clearance of its separately collected WEEE.

A PCS must tell Defra if it:

• cannot access the DCF site free of charge to clear the contracted WEEE
• can prove not all the WEEE arising at the site is being made available for collection, excluding any WEEE streams the DCF has opted to self-treat with the agreement of Defra

You must give Defra evidence to back up your claims. Defra will only act where the issues cannot be resolved between the PCS and DCF and if valid evidence is given.

If Defra concludes the DCF is failing to meet this code, it will give the DCF corrective actions to follow. If the DCF fails to implement the actions then Defra may withdraw its approval.