On July 29, 2005, the parliament passed an act on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) which adapts our legislation to EU requirements. The new regulations introduced on October 21, 2005 require citizens to segregate their electrical and electronic waste and deliver it to an appropriate collection point. Leaving such equipment in an inappropriate place (e.g. disposing of it together with other types of waste or abandoning it in the woods, etc.) is punishable by fine of PLN 50 to PLN 5000.

Previously, up to 90% of waste consumer electronics and household appliances in Poland was disposed of in regular waste dumps, causing substantial hazards to living organisms. Electrical and electronic equipment contains many noxious substances, which, once released from the equipment, pass into the soil, damaging the natural environment.

For example, if mercury contained in certain types of fluorescent lamps passes contaminates water reservoirs, it can pass into the brains of living organisms (including people), affecting sight, hearing, coordination, chewing and swallowing. Bromium compounds used in computers and passed into the natural environment cause disorders in the human reproductive system people and disorders in the reproductive system and neurological problems in animals. Cadmium found in batteries used in electrical equipment affects kidney function, causes hypertension and can even lead to cancerous changes (especially in the prostate gland and kidneys). Additionally, cadmium interferes with calcium metabolism causing deformation of the skeleton and contributing to reproductive disorders.

Only the segregation of waste and proper processing and neutralization of dangerous elements contained in the waste can protect the environment.

This symbol informs the consumer that this product cannot be disposed of together with other types of waste, because it is a hazardous waste material that can be harmful to the environment. Waste products marked with the crossed wastebasket symbol must be turned in to WEEE collection points, e.g. retail outlets. All producers of electrical and electronic equipment are obligated to place this symbol on their products.

Retailers and wholesalers selling household electrical or electronic equipment are obligated to accept waste equipment free of charge from their customers; the waste equipment must be of the same type and in quantity not exceeding the quantity of new equipment sold (one for one, i.e. a spent washing machine for a new washing machine, a spent mixer for a new mixer etc.).

Consumers may turn in any other electrical and electronic equipment to their municipal WEEE collection points, i.e. municipal organizational units established to collect municipal waste. As of October 1, 2006, every municipality is obligated to inform its residents about their waste equipment collection units and the addresses of the waste collection points. This information should be posted by the municipality on its website or communicated in a customary way, e.g. by posting it on a bulletin board in the office building.

In some cities, the local waste disposal services (e.g. the MPO) have joined the WEEE collection program. Information about collections can often be found on housing estate bulletin boards.

Our site also hosts a regularly updated database of WEEE collection points.

The price increase is the result of the many new obligations imposed on entities introducing electrical and electronic equipment to the market (including producers and importers of such equipment). These entities are obligated to organize and finance the collection of waste equipment from collection points (for example retail outlets) and then process, reclaim, recycle and neutralize that equipment. Fulfilling the obligation to build the waste management system, imposed by the WEE act, importers and producers of electrical equipment incur higher costs of bringing products to market. This is why they had to increase the prices of their products by the amount of the waste management fee (abbreviated as WMF). The WMF is used entirely to cover the costs of fulfilling the obligations imposed by the WEEE act.

In case of household equipment, the WMF may be indicated separately on the invoice (like VAT), hence it is sometimes referred to as the “ecological tax” or “recycling fee”.

The WMF is not a deposit and therefore is not reimbursable. It is used entirely to finance the collection, processing, reclaim recycling and neutralization of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

The WMF does not cover the costs of transporting waste equipment to the collection point, although sometimes retail outlets offer such services. However, they are not obligated to do so.

This is the abbreviation of the term Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

This European Union directive necessitated the introduction of a consistent member state WEEE management policy with a view to protect the natural environment. This directive sets forward a set of new obligations, the most important of which are articles 8 and 9 under which member states are required to introduce a legal act that would compel producers to finance the costs of collecting, processing, reclaiming, recycling and environmentally friendly disposal of household and other (corporate, institutional) WEEE

The first version of the 2002/96/WE directive was too broad in the scope of obligations and responsibilities imposed on producers of non-household equipment, which could have put businesses in serious financial risk.
To adapt the directive to economic reality, article 9 was amended
Under the new regulations, legacy non-household waste (i.e. waste from equipment introduced prior to August 13, 2005) is the responsibility of the producers when the waste equipment is replaced by corresponding new products. Equipment producers and users can contractually assign part or the entirety of the obligation to finance waste management onto the user of the equipment. In all other cases, legacy non-household waste is the financial responsibility of its users, i.e. corporations and institutions.

This act sets forward the rules of environment protection and the terms of use of natural resources, with consideration of sustainable development. This act sets forward in particular the rules of protection of natural resources, conditions of introduction of energy and substance into the natural environment, costs of use of the natural environment, provision of information about the natural environment and protection thereof, obligations of bodies of State administration and rules citizen participation in environment protection.

This act sets forward the rules of managing waste in ways that ensure the protection of human life and health and the natural environment in accordance with the principles of sustainable development; in particular the act sets forward the rules preventing the creation of waste and limiting the amount of waste and its negative impact on the environment; the act also specifies the rules of recycling or neutralization of waste.

This act sets forward the rules of ensuring cleanliness and waste disposal in municipalities; in particular it enumerates municipal obligations, which include providing access via a website or other customary way to information about the locations of household waste collection points available within the municipality.

This act sets forward the obligations of entrepreneurs who introduce packaging, packaged products and environmentally hazardous products, enumerated and the attachment to the act. Products covered by the regulation of this act include discharge lamps, which are also subject to regulation by the act on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

The key legal act which sets forward the obligations of entities introducing electrical and electronic equipment to the domestic market, and of entities involved in the collection, processing, reclaiming and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment, as well as equipment users and recycling organizations; this act also lays down the legal basis for the functioning of the register maintained by the General Environment Protection Inspectorate