existing members - re-joining the DTS in phase 2
If you are thinking of re-joining the DTS in phase 2, please click here to see the relevant fact sheet.

established businesses - joining the DTS for the first time in phase 2
If you have been involved in the provision of electrical and electronic equipment to households for more than three months, and are thinking of joining the DTS for the first time in phase 2 , please click here to see the relevant fact sheet.

new to market - joining the DTS in phase 2
If you are new to market have been involved in the provision of electrical and electronic equipment to households for less than three months, and are thinking of joining the DTS , please click here to see the relevant fact sheet.

the WEEE Distributor Take Back Scheme - phase 2
Valpak Retail WEEE Services Ltd (Valpak) has been re-appointed to operate the Distributor Take Back Scheme (DTS) by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) under the WEEE Regulations for the next three year phase (phase 2), which lasts from January 2010 to December 2012.

benefits of joining the DTS in phase 2
Membership of the DTS provides distributors the ability to opt-out of the legal requirement to take back waste from customers themselves. The requirements apply to all businesses that supply electrical equipment to household end-users, irrespective of size and method of sale.

Members of the DTS will be able to continue to operate as normal with the choice to collect waste if they want to (for example collection on delivery of large appliances), but can refuse any WEEE item if they wish so long as they point the consumer to the local Designated Collection Facility (usually at a CA site or Household Waste Recycling Centre).

Distributors that choose not to join the DTS must offer a free collection or in store waste return system to all customers at the completion of each and every sale.

categorising members in phase 2
Members will again be categorised depending on the total sales value of all electrical and electronic equipment (as obligated by the WEEE Regulations) in the period 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009. Each retailer will therefore fall into one of the following bands:

rejoining the DTS in phase 2 - fees
Because the initial set up costs associated with the DTS and the member state network of collection facilities have been met, the cost of rejoining the DTS in phase 2 will be significantly lower than was charged to join in phase 1. Fees for all members of the DTS in phase 1 that are re-joining in phase 2 will be known as 'retention fees'.

For members in Band A, the unit fees will be less than 20% of those charged to distributors that applied to join the DTS in phase one before the 15 March 2007 deadline, and around 10% of those charged to distributors that joined after this deadline. It should also be noted that the fees highlighted on the page dedicated to 'phase 1' of the DTS show the higher cost associated with joining the DTS today (i.e. after the 15 March 2007 deadline).

The fees for Band A members joining in Phase 2 will be based on unit sales in the period 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009.

Retention fees for members in band A in phase 2 detailed below. These are less than 20% of those charged for phase one, and in many cases significantly lower than that. A further operational fee (14.75% of retention fees) will also be added.

To rejoin the DTS in phase 2, please click here. Make sure that you have your login ID and authentication code to hand so that we know that you were a member in phase 1 that is rejoining in phase 2.

operational fees for those retailers rejoining the DTS in phase 2
In phase 2, Valpak are required to charge the operational fee, to cover the costs of running the DTS, separately from the fees that will be passed to LAs. In return for this fee, Valpak are responsible for:

• the registration of members and collection of funds

• registration (and maintenance of the register) of the network of WEEE designated collection facilities

• monitoring of how collected funding is spent by Local Authorities and Councils

• provision of information to the Government and Enforcement Agencies

• assistance to members relating to the Consumer Information Obligation.

joining the DTS for the first time in phase 2 - fees
The fees for retailers that are new to the DTS will be comparable to those charged to members in phase 1. It should be remembered that members in phase 1 paid for the network to be established and are now required to pay maintenance, which is a lower cost. New members are therefore required to pay a comparable 'joining fee', which will be passed to local authorities and other collectors to assist with special projects aimed at increasing the quantities of WEEE collected. Full details of the method by which this fund will be distributed will be developed by Valpak in partnership with the Government and Local Authorities during 2010. Valpak's operating costs are included in the joining fees for new members in phase 2.

To join the DTS in phase 2, please click here. If you were a member in phase 1, please make sure that you have your login ID and authentication code to hand so that we can identify you accordingly.

Data
All distributors joining the scheme, whether a member in phase 1 or joining for the first time, are required to submit some data so that we can calculate your fees. Distributors in bands B and C are required to provide the sales value of EEE for a one year period only, whereas distributors in band A are also required to submit the total number of units (that are obligated under the WEEE regulations), by WEEE category, that they sold in the period 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009.

To see more information regarding the WEEE categories, please click here.