Environmental protection and recycling

What is the eco-contribution or eco-fee?

The eco-contribution, previously called eco-fee, corresponds to the cost of collecting and recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

This contribution to the costs of recovering and disposing of WEEE makes buyers more accountable and enables effective recycling.

Which products are affected?

It covers all appliances that operate using electric current (mains power, batteries or rechargeable batteries) or electromagnetic fields. This includes all so‑called “white” goods (household appliances), “brown” goods (audio-visual equipment), and “grey” goods (IT equipment): from alarm clocks to computers, from washing machines to televisions, but also toys and DIY or gardening equipment.

From 15 November 2006, this waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been handled by a dedicated system set up by the manufacturers of these products.

Any electrical or electronic appliance, even incomplete, that is discarded is considered WEEE: whether it is no longer working, still reusable, or replaced by a newer model.

These products are grouped into ten main categories:

• consumer equipment: hi-fi systems, radios, televisions, camcorders, video recorders…
• furniture: armchairs, furniture, TV stands, shelves, racks, …
• large household appliances: fridges, freezers, electric cookers, washing machines, tumble dryers…
• small household appliances: coffee makers, vacuum cleaners, sewing machines; toasters, irons, hairdryers
• IT and telecommunications equipment: computers, printers, …
• lighting equipment: low-energy lamps, fluorescent tubes, …
• electrical and electronic tools (excluding large fixed industrial tools): drills, saws, gardening tools
• toys, leisure and sports equipment: games consoles, remote-controlled toys…
• medical devices (excluding all implanted and infected products): blood pressure monitors, electronic bathroom scales, thermometers…
• monitoring and control instruments: smoke detectors, CCTV equipment
• vending machines (professional equipment)

Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

The production of electrical and electronic equipment is one of the fastest-growing industrial sectors in the Western world. As a result, the issue of managing electrical and electronic waste has now arisen. In June 2000, the European Commission put forward proposals to address this issue, and in December 2002 these proposals were adopted and set out in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

The main provisions of the WEEE Directive are to:

• make producers (or any other person placing a product on the European market) responsible for paying for the take-back, treatment and recycling of end-of-life equipment.
• improve the recycling of electrical and electronic waste.
• ensure the separate collection of electrical and electronic waste.
• inform the public about their role in relation to this waste.

The French decree transposing the two European directives was published in the Official Journal on 22 July 2005. For household WEEE, the effective start date of the scheme (the WEEE collection and treatment system) was set at 15 November 2006.

Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) are appliances that run on mains power, batteries or accumulators. Each producer must affix to every household electrical and electronic appliance placed on the market after 13 August 2005 the symbol of a crossed-out wheeled bin.

From 15 November 2006 you must not dispose of waste electrical and electronic equipment with household rubbish or other unsorted municipal waste.

Consumers contribute to the process by paying an “eco-contribution” or “environmental contribution”, included in the purchase price of new equipment.

The amount of this eco-contribution is included in the price of each product shown on the site, and is indicated on the invoices sent with each order.

Consumers must return their used equipment either to a recycling centre, to a retailer when buying a new product, or donate it to a social enterprise.

For certain good-quality, working IT or hi-fi equipment, donating to charities can be a good solution, while also supporting people in need.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment may contain hazardous substances, with potentially serious effects on the environment and human health. By taking part in the collection of end-of-life electronic equipment, you help preserve natural resources and protect human health.

Who recycles WEEE?

From 15 November 2006, for producers that join the scheme, four eco-organisations handle the collection and recycling of WEEE:

• ERP 0810 130 805 (cost of a local call)
• Récylum 0810 001 777 (cost of a local call)
• Ecologic 0825 825 732 (12 cts/min)
• Eco-Systèmes 0825 886 879 (12 cts/min)

The company OCAD3E was approved by decree of 22 September 2006 to compensate local authorities for the costs of selective collection of WEEE.

How to read the labels

From now on, for every electrical or electronic appliance you buy, you contribute to the collective funding of the new scheme by paying an eco-contribution. This is displayed very clearly, separately from the product price, for transparency. This amount is first paid by the producer to the eco-organisation to fund the collection, re-use and recycling of an equivalent used appliance, and therefore varies according to the product and the type of treatment required. It is then passed on unchanged by the producer to the retailer and finally to the consumer, within a non-profit system.

This display also has an educational purpose, so that we are all aware of the cost of managing the end of life of the products we consume. The eco-contribution is subject to VAT and cannot be discounted.

Some indicative prices, for example: 10 euro cents for an alarm clock, 1 euro for a vacuum cleaner, 6 euros for a dishwasher, from 1 to 8 euros for a television, and 13 euros for a fridge.

Nature and composition of WEEE

Electrical or electronic equipment is discarded (and therefore becomes waste electrical and electronic equipment – WEEE) for the following reasons:

• it no longer works,
• it could be repaired but the repair cost is prohibitive,
• it is part of a whole of which one element no longer works,
• it still works but is obsolete and replaced by newer equipment.
• Production rejects are generally also considered waste electrical and electronic equipment.

WEEE is very varied and has a complex composition. It is therefore impossible to define a typical composition. However, it mainly consists of:

• ferrous and non-ferrous metals (10 to 85),
• inert materials: glass (excluding cathode ray tubes), wood, concrete… (0 to 20),
• plastics with or without halogenated flame retardants (1 to 70),
• specific components:
  • CFCs and other greenhouse gases (currently being replaced by HC),
  • Batteries and accumulators,
  • Cathode ray tubes (around 65 of a television),
  • PCB capacitors, - Electronic boards,
  • Liquid crystal displays,
  • Mercury relays or switches,
  • Cables,
  • Printer cartridges and toners.

Some WEEE is hazardous waste.

Key figures

Each year, around 1.7 million tonnes of WEEE are generated by businesses and households. This waste has a high growth rate: 3 to 5 per year.

The amount of WEEE from households is estimated at around 14 kg/year/person, or about 50 of all WEEE. These figures are still approximate, as there is currently no system specifically tracking these waste quantities.

It is in fact difficult today to estimate the volume of WEEE, in particular because of:

• the diversity of appliances placed on the market and the number of manufacturers involved,
• the very variable lifespan of appliances,
• the very significant tendency to store equipment, especially among private individuals, for various reasons: “it might still be useful”, financial or sentimental value attached to the product, lack of collection facilities, lack of awareness of treatment options, lack of awareness of the pollution risks involved,
• collection currently carried out mixed with other waste (bulky waste or unsorted household waste for household waste, and DIB or DIS for professional waste).

In the long term, the producers’ register will allow detailed monitoring of:

• the annual placing on the market of electrical and electronic equipment
• the quantities of waste collected and recovered from households, based on declarations as well.

The European directive on WEEE (see regulatory framework) sets a collection target of 4 kg/year/person of household WEEE by 31 December 2006. This target will be reviewed every two years.

As part of the “Initiative Recyclage” operation, a collection rate of 4.7 kg/year/person was achieved after two years of trials.