The Regulations provide for retailers and distributors to comply with the take-back obligation by showing they are participating in an approved retailer compliance scheme.
The primary objective of a scheme should be to support an adequate UK-wide WEEE collection network - as an alternative to its members offering direct, in-store take-back services.
Negotiations are continuing between the Government and the British Retail Consortium on a potential retailer / distributor compliance scheme.
The Government expects a retailer compliance scheme to provide WEEE collection services UK-wide, as part of the alternative to its members directly offering free, like for like take-back. These services should complement the WEEE designated collection facilities in the civic amenity site network. In some areas there are no civic amenity sites to offer separate collection of WEEE. In others, local authorities or their site operators may choose not to bid for upgrades to their sites to offer these.
These retailer-led collection services may take the form of take-back points in major retail parks, or there may be other arrangements better suited to particular areas. It will be for the scheme to define optimum arrangements, consistent with achieving UK-wide coverage.