Electronical waste (WEEE)

The rules for handling waste from electrical and electronic equipment is laid down in the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive). This directive was introduced into Danish law in april 2006.

The directive is implemented through the Danish WEEE statutory order:

Statutory Order on placing on the market of electrical and electronic equipment and management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (The WEEE Order)

The aim of the WEEE-directive is to reduce the environmental impacts from WEEE by encouraging the producers to produce environment-friendly products and by setting rules to increase reuse, recycling, and other forms of recovery of WEEE.

Generally speaking WEEE rules give the producer and/or importer of electrical and electronic equipment the responsibility of organizing and financing the management of electrical and electronic products in an environmental sound way, when they become waste. The producers and importers also have to report information to a national producer register.

The Danish Producer Responsibility System (DPA)
The DPA-system is in charge of the operation of the Danish central producer register for electrical and electronic equipment. DPA-system also assigns collected WEEE from the municipal collection sites to the producers and/or the collective producer schemes. This assignment is based on the reported volumes put on the market by producers and importers.

DPA-system is a private organization established in pursuance of the Danish Environmental Protection Act, and its more specific duties is described in the statutory order regarding WEEE. The activities of DPA-System are financed by fees levied from producers and importers.