Target audiences

Producers

An electrical or electronic equipment (EEE) producer is any individual or legal entity that, regardless of the selling technique used under the meaning given in Law 7/1996 of 15 January, on Regulation of Retail Trade in regard to distance contracts:

  1. Is established in Spain and manufactures EEE under their own name or own brand, or designs, manufactures and puts on market under their name or brand in Spain; or
  2. Is established in Spain and resells EEE made by third parties under their own name or own brand, without being regarded as the ‘producer' if the producer's brand appears on the equipment, pursuant to paragraph 1; or
  3. Is established in Spain and is professionally engaged in introducing EEE from third countries or another Member State into the Spanish market; or
  4. Sells EEE by means of distance communication directly to private households or professional users in Spain and is established in another Member State or a third country.

Anyone who solely provides financing under any financing agreement as defined under letter i) shall not be considered an EEE producer, unless they also act as a producer in the sense defined in paragraphs 1 to 4.

Authorised representatives, defined as individuals or legal entities established in Spain, appointed by an EEE producer established in another Member State, that are responsible for fulfilling the obligations of that producer in Spain, are also considered producers.

 

Responsibilities

Producers of equipment are responsible for managing and financing equipment recycling, including collection at recycling points, transportation and processing and the proper management of waste.

  • Quarterly statement of the quantitiesof equipment placed on the market through the EEE Industrial Register (RII-AEE).
  • Marking devices with the identifying symbol established by the regulations.
  • Adopting the necessary measures for the selective collection and proper management of WEEE generated by its equipment placed on the market, except where it is intended for reuse.
  • Identifying WEEE using an electronic tag to ensure traceability of waste.
  • Including the registration number on invoices from producer to distributors.
  • Developing agreements that cover preparation for reuse by logistic platforms.

  

ECOTIC Services

From the moment a producer places their trust in us by joining ECOTIC, we take responsibility for their waste-related obligations, including administrative disclosure processes and registration under the appropriate registers, as well as submitting production declarations to the Ministry and the management of WEEE itself.

Our Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) covers the establishment, development and management of WEEE collection, processing and management at the end of its life cycle, in addition to managing waste and handling our clients’ legal responsibilities.  

  • Managing equipment at the end of its useful life including collection at the producer’s premises or load grouping centre, transportation and storage, and on-site processing. 
  • Carrying out administrative procedures including registering under the equipment producer register.
  • Information for the Industrial Register under the WEEE section (RII-AEE).
  • Production declaration via our platform; we take care of submitting declarations to the Ministry register.
  • Complying with requirements regarding reuse of equipment wherever possible.


ECOTIC offers producers the best solution for WEEE management, which can be tailored depending on the nature of the producer and waste collection requirements.

  • No quarterly minimums: the cost is set depending on the equipment placed on the market.
  • No costs, membership fee or processing costs for companies that already comply with regulations.
  • No long-term commitment: renewable yearly contract.
  • No unexpected additional costs: all costs are included in the price of the service.
  • Single invoice for electrical and electronic equipment and batteries.
  • Rates per type of waste: producers only pay the costs of the products they sell.
  • Transparent management, with a price for the service calculated at 0 at year end.


For any queries about our services, please contact us to discuss a custom proposal based on your requirements.





Distributors

Distributors include anyone who supplies electrical and electronic equipment under commercial terms to another person or body that is the end user of the product.

Distributors can also be considered producers if they introduce equipment into the market using their brand name, or if they import, in which case they must assume the responsibilities applicable to producers.

Responsibilities

Distributors of electrical and electronic equipment must undertake a series of responsibilities as established by legislation.

  • Marketing of devices is limited to those made by producers with an identification number recorded in the EEE Industrial Register (RII-AEE).
  • Acceptance and receipt of WEEE, either at the point of sale or when a new piece of equipment is delivered to the buyer’s address.
  • Setting up a collection point for WEEE smaller than 25 cm, for distributors that have a minimum sales floor of 400 m2.
  • Issuing collection documents to buyers delivering WEEE, stating the date, type of equipment, brand, serial number and purpose (recycling or reuse).
  • Managing collected WEEE, either through an Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) such as ECOTIC, or directly via an authorised management company.
  • Identifying WEEE using an electronic tag to ensure traceability of waste.
  • Developing agreements that cover preparation for reuse by logistic platforms.
  • Disseminating information regarding the correct collection of WEEE.
 
ECOTIC Services

ECOTIC offers the best platform for collecting and managing waste electrical and electronic equipment, which can be adapted to the specific requirements of the companies we work with. We also advise clients on the requirements and conditions laid down by the Royal Decree.

In order to manage their WEEE with us, distributors must register as a collection point. Neither this nor the management work entail any cost.

  • Managing equipment at the end of its useful life including collection at the distributor’s premises or load grouping centre, transportation and processing by an authorised management company.
  • Advising on collection and transportation conditions in order to ensure these are optimised in regard to logistical needs.
  • Advising on storage conditions for WEEE and collection facility requirements to ensure the proper storage of waste prior to transportation to authorised management companies.
  • Identifying WEEE using electronic tags to ensure traceability of waste up to its final destination.
  • Support in identifying producers that comply with applicable regulations, to avoid eventualities arising from irregularities.
  • Complying with requirements regarding reuse of equipment wherever possible.

For any queries about our services, please contact us to discuss a custom proposal based on your requirements.

 





Installers

Installers are professionals who carry out electricity-related installations and repairs, both for machinery and lighting, as well as installers of temperature-control and refrigeration equipment.

There are a number of specialisms depending on the type of work done, such as electrical installations in residential or commercial premises (including offices and workshops) or public lighting, or repairing electrical faults in machinery and appliances.

 

Responsibilities

Installers have a number of responsibilities regarding the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

  • Handing in the waste removed from an installation job, either via a distribution centre or an Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) such as ECOTIC, or directly to an authorised management company.
  • Issuing collection documents to buyers delivering WEEE, stating the date, type of equipment, brand, serial number and purpose (recycling or reuse).
  • Identifying WEEE using electronic tags to ensure traceability of waste up to its final destination.

 

ECOTIC services

ECOTIC is the trusted partner of the main Spanish electrical and temperature-control system installer associations. Proof of this are its numerous agreements with various bodies, under which installers benefit from waste (such as air conditioning, lighting and so on) being collected and transferred to authorised facilities for proper environmentally friendly processing.

We offer professionals the option of using our Extended Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to handle waste at no cost to installers.

  • Managing equipment at the end of its useful life, including collection at the installer’s premises or load grouping centre, transportation and processing by an authorised management company.
  • Advising on collection and transportation conditions in order to ensure these are optimised in regard to logistical needs.
  • Advising on storage conditions for WEEE and collection facility requirements to ensure the proper storage of waste prior to transportation to authorised management companies.
  • Identifying WEEE using electronic tags to ensure traceability of waste, through management companies that ECOTIC works with.


In addition, ECOTIC promotes the Ecoinstaladores programme. This pioneering initiative aims to increase the amount of temperature-control and refrigeration equipment waste collected, given that annual volumes are lower than for other types of waste. The intention is to involve installers in achieving this goal due to their key role in the recycling process. For further information on how to take part, please see our Ecoinstaladores section.

For any queries about our services, please contact us to discuss a custom proposal based on your requirements.

 





Sanctions

In addition to the serious environmental damage that may arise from improper waste management, breaching the provisions of Law 7/2022 regarding Waste and Contaminated Land for a Circular Economy carries severe fines, which can range from 2,000 to 3,500,000 euros, or other sanctions such as temporary professional disqualification or the closure of facilities.

These sanctions are established specifically for each case according to the provisions of Section IX on responsibility, surveillance, inspection, control and sanctioning regime of the aforementioned Law, criminalizing the infractions in Article 108 and in the form of the sanction established in Article 109. These infractions and sanctions are shown in the table below.

 


Low

Sanctions of up to €2,000.
Up to 20,000 euros where hazardous waste or contaminated land are involved.

Producers of products


  • Infractions committed by small entities or involving minor quantities and thus cannot be classified as serious or very serious.

Producers of waste

Serious

Fine of between €2,001 and €100,000.

From €20,001 to €600,000 where hazardous waste or contaminated land are involved.
Disqualification from carrying out any of the activities provided for by the Law and/or revocation of authorisation for a period not exceeding 1 year.

Producers of products

  • Marketing products in breach of the financial or financial and organisational obligations laid down by the EPR regime.
  • Failing to comply with the obligation to register in the Register of Producers of Products, as well as the obligation to report the identification number of the registered producer or to convey information on products introduced into the national market.
  • Manufacturing, marketing or using products in breach of the obligations arising from this law and its implementing regulations regarding the design and composition of products derived from Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
  • Providing lacking or incomplete information to competent authorities and waste management companies on repair and/or recycling, as well as easily accessible information to the public on product characteristics relating to durability, reusability, repairability, recyclability and content in recycled materials.

Producers of waste

  • Failing to comply with the obligations of the initial producer or other holder of non-hazardous waste, relating to the management of its waste.
  • Failing to comply with the obligation to provide documentation, concealing or falsifying data required by the applicable regulations, as well as breaching the obligation to maintain custody over such documentation.
  • Lack of labelling, incorrect or partial labelling of packaging containing hazardous waste.
  • Delivering, selling or transferring non-hazardous waste to individuals or legal entities other than those indicated in this Law.
  • Abandoning, dumping and improperly managing any type of non-hazardous waste.
  • Failing to draw up waste-minimisation plans.

Very serious

Fine of between €100,001 and €3,500,000.

Starting from €600,001 when hazardous waste or contaminated land are involved.
Disqualification from carrying out any of the activities provided for by the Law and/or revocation of authorisation for a period of 1 to 10 years.
Temporary or permanent full or partial closure of facilities or equipment for 1 to 5 years.

Producers of products

  • Marketing products in breach of the financial or financial and organisational obligations laid down by the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regime.
  • Providing lacking or incomplete information to competent authorities and waste management companies on repair and/or recycling, as well as easily accessible information to the public on product characteristics relating to durability, reusability, repairability, etc. provided that this has posed a serious danger or damage to human health or has caused serious damage or deterioration of the environment.

Producers of waste

  • Failing to comply with the obligations of the initial producer or other holder of hazardous waste, relating to the management of its waste.

  

 

 





Local authorities

In addition to the services we offer to businesses, ECOTIC is the trusted partner of many local authorities that have chosen us to support them in recycling municipal household waste. This waste is channelled through recycling points, rubbish tips, alternative waste collection points, green parks and other collection points provided for this purpose. ECOTIC has partnership agreements with local authorities for managing WEEE, based around two alternatives.

The first of these is the framework agreement with OfiRAEE, a virtual office of which ECOTIC is a member along with other Extended Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs). This platform has a tool that automatically handles requests for WEEE collection issued by municipal recycling points.

ECOTIC has also signed bilateral agreements with local authorities for directly managing the collection and treatment of waste via municipal collection points of the authorities with which we have collaboration agreements, using our PRO.

 

Responsibilities

The following table shows the WEEE recycling services that can be found at municipal recycling points.

SERVICE

TYPE OF WEEE

STORAGE ELEMENTS

1

TEMPERATURE EXCHANGE EQUIPMENT

Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioning units, radiators and thermal emitters using oil.

LARGE EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE STORED STANDING AND SMALL EQUIPMENT PLACED ON PROPERLY RETRACTED PALLETS

2

MONITORS, SCREENS AND DEVICES WITH A SCREEN AREA OF MORE THAN 100 cm2.

SPECIFIC CAGE

3

LAMPS

Discharge, fluorescent and LED lamps.

SPECIFIC CAGE

4

LARGE APPLIANCES (outer dimension > 50 cm)

Other large household appliances, computer and telecommunications equipment, other consumer electronics, other luminaires, electrical and electronic tools, toys or sports and leisure equipment, medical devices, monitoring and control instruments.

LARGE EQUIPMENT SHOULD BE STORED STANDING AND SMALL EQUIPMENT PLACED ON PROPERLY RETRACTED PALLETS

5

SMALL APPLIANCES (outer dimension < 50 cm)

Other consumer electronics, other luminaires, electrical and electronic tools, toys or sports and leisure equipment, medical devices, etc.

SPECIFIC CAGE

6

SMALL COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT (outer dimension < 50 cm)

SPECIFIC CAGE

 

ECOTIC Services
  • Automating WEEE management and collection from municipal collection points.
  • Effective and efficient use of loading and transportation resources provided by all PROs.
  • Standardising information and traceability criteria for WEEE from municipal recycling points.
  • Collecting and generating aggregate, reliable and unified information on amount of WEEE collected and managed by the municipal clean points at local, regional and state level.
  • Managing equipment at the end of its useful life, including collection at the local authority’s premises, transportation and processing by an authorised management company.
  • Advising on collection and transportation conditions in order to ensure these are optimised in regard to logistical needs.
  • Advising on storage conditions for WEEE and collection facility requirements to ensure the proper storage of waste prior to transportation to authorised management companies.
  • Identifying WEEE using electronic tags to ensure traceability of waste, through management companies that ECOTIC works with.

To request more information about the different types of service available to local authorities, please use our contact information.

 





Campaigns

ECOTIC is firmly committed to raising awareness among both industry professionals and users of electrical and electronic equipment. Since our founding, we have launched or supported numerous campaigns aimed at different audiences: from schools, through initiatives such as R-Ciclojuguete or Juguetes con Mucha Vida (Long-Life Toys); to professional groups such as electrical installers through the Ecoinstaladores (Ecoinstallers) programme; and society in general with the installation of red Otro Final es Posible (Another End is Possible) selective-collection containers.

We are convinced that the future of the environment depends on the role that each and every one of us plays, and we focus all our efforts on this awareness-raising work.





"Otro Final es Posible" (Another End is Possible)

The Another End Is Possible campaign is an educational initiative we have been running for several years in various regions of Spain. It is aimed at raising awareness among school students and teachers on the importance of recycling and adopting a circular economy, with a view to driving the move towards a sustainable production and consumption model.

Through recreational learning activities carried out in the schools themselves, and by encouraging students to take part in various activities, Another End Is Possible has become one of ECOTIC’s flagship campaigns. Our goal now is to transfer this initiative to other regions as part of our commitment to raise awareness among all actors involved in recycling products.

You can find more information on this campaign at www.otrofinalesposible.org.





  • ECOinstaladores

    The Ecoinstaladores programme, launched in 2011, is an ECOTIC initiative that has the support of Spain’s main installer associations, and which aims to increase the amount of waste collected from temperature-control and refrigeration equipment, which has far from optimal levels of collection compared with other types of WEEE.

    It also aims to raise awareness about the importance of correctly decommissioning equipment, avoiding the potential negative impact from its components (CFCs, HCFCs and refrigerant oils) on the environment and people’s health.

    We have recently launched a new edition of the programme. ECOTIC offers Ecoinstaladores accreditation for businesses and professionals that wish to help the environment by decommissioning equipment responsibly, and they can also benefit from other advantages such as free waste collection at their facilities.

    For further information on this programme, you can get in touch via our contact details or go to www.ecoinstaladores.com.

  • ECOinstaladores