Producer Responsibility Enforcement - Technical Support - Free Riding B2C EEE and Battery Producers

Tender description

The EPA’s Producer Responsibility Team has responsibility for enforcement of certain provisions of the European Union (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 149 of 2014), and the European Union (Batteries and Accumulators) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 283 of 2014). These Regulations underpin the national producer responsibility initiatives (PRI’s) for the management of WEEE and batteries and place obligations on producers of electrical and electronic products and batteries. Producers of electrical and electronic equipment are divided between those that supply products to private households, known as business-to-consumer (B2C) producers, and those that supply to users other-than-private households referred to as business-to-business (B2B) producers. The majority of the obligations in the Regulations fall on producers which in Irelands case relates mostly to importers. Among other things, all producers must register with the national producer registration body, Producer Register Limited (PRL). However, there are producers that are avoiding their obligations under the WEEE and batteries Regulations. These producers are known as ‘free-riders’. There is anecdotal evidence that free-riding is occurring among certain sectors, consequently, the EPA wishes to engage the services of a contractor to carry out a 6-month investigation into free-riding in these sectors and to also support the EPA in enforcing producer obligations on companies that are found to be free-riding or otherwise non-compliant. The EPA also requires support in enforcement of producer obligations on companies that are found to be free riding.