International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

20.2.1.1 Austria
In Austria, the majority of household WEEE collections are undertaken via municipal
collection sites. The majority of municipal sites (92.5 % as of 2006) are signed up to
contracts with collective compliance schemes, with variable fees paid to those
collection sites based on the amounts collected. Any municipal sites that are not
signed up to contracts with collective schemes are entitled to lump sums based on
the types of equipment collected and the size of the collection centre. The WEEE
Coordination Body acts as a clearing house in Austria, assigning the pick-up and
treatment of any WEEE collected by municipalities and not covered by contracts. 428
National legislation in Austria excludes retailers with sales areas less than 150 m 2
from the obligation of taking back WEEE from consumers on a 1:1 basis. In addition,
their legislation states that producers must set up at least one collection point per
district. Reflecting their pre-WEEE directive legislation, WEEE in Austria must be
sorted into five categories (large appliances, cooling equipment, CRTs, small
appliances and gas discharge lamps). 428
Implementation of the WEEE Directive in Austria requires that EEE is labelled correctly
(crossed-out dustbin on wheels with line under it), that levels of hazardous
substances are below those specified in the RoHS, and that all producers/distributors
of EEE are registered.
Prior to the WEEE Directive, Austria had only one collective system provider. However,
the transposition of the Directive led to the creation of a more competitive
environment by introducing four more collective producer systems and also allowing
individuals to take on their own financial responsibility for WEEE. 429 In the collective
systems, the provider makes an estimate of how many units will be sold within a
particular time frame and the cost to collect and recycle those units is calculated and
billed to the producer/distributor. The provider is then legally responsible to ensure
that collection points are prepared to accept the products in question. Where the
producers/distributors assume collection and recovery obligations by themselves,
their products must be readily identifiable and they must conclude individual
collection agreements with potential points of collection.
20.2.1.2 Germany
As in Austria, the municipality provides the main avenue for WEEE collection in
Germany. The municipality is responsible for the collection of WEEE from
householders and for the education of the public to source-separate this waste
stream. Unlike many other EU countries, distributors are not obliged to provide a 1:1
collection service in Germany (taking back an old product when a new one is
428 http://www.buyusa.gov/austria/en/weeefaqs.html
429 R. Veit (2005) How do WEEE get it right?, EMSNow, available at
http://www.emsnow.com/npps/story.cfm?id=15184
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