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Companies that place PV panels on the British territory are responsible for organizing the collection and recycling of the PV panels at the end of their life. The same also applies to the inverters and batteries (Energy Storage Systems), which are often used within a PV power installation.

The obligation was introduced in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2014 through the WEEE Regulations 2013, No. 3113.

The WEEE Regulations and the Environment Agency use a broad definition of the notion "Producer”:

A.Each legal entity established in the UK, which:

• manufactures and sells PV Panels in the UK (Manufacturers);or 
• resells in the UK under his own name or brand name photovoltaic panels manufactured by other suppliers (Resellers); or  
• import and sell photovoltaic panels from abroad in the UK on a professional basis (Importers – Distributors); or 

B.Each legal entity established outside the UK, which:

sells by means of distance communication directly to private households or to businesses in the UK, 

• through a Web (internet) or Online sales shop and
• made via distance communication via online sales, telephone, email, and arrangements of that sort suchas face-to-face meetings 
  
  The latter means that a foreign manufacturer selling PV Panels to a SPV or to an EPC-contractor building the large PV installation, is Producer in the UK.
  
  Other consequence is that each legal entity established outside the UK, which places PV Panels and Electrical and Electronical Equipment on the UK territory through indirect selling only is not a Producer !
  Indirect selling  means selling to distributors or importers. This means for the PV Value chain that the Distributor or Importer established in the UK is the Producer !

The distinction between direct and indirect sales has been decided and published by the Environment Agency during the year 2024 July and is applicable since 1 January 2025.

When you doubt whether your company falls under the definition of Producer and its accompanying obligations? Then contact PV CYCLE UK.

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REGISTRATION. Companies placing PV panels on the British market must be registered to the Environment Agency. 

DECLARATION. Each quarter, the Producer must report the number of PV Panels or EEE placed on the British territory, at minimum in pieces and kilogrammes. What is stored in a warehouse in the UK before sales, is also considered as ‘placed on the market’!

COLLECTION and RECYCLING. Each Producer of PV panels and EEE sold on the British market must organize the collection and recycling when their products return from the market at the end of their life, regardless of the brand or the date they were placed on the market. 

• Pay your annual “market share” obligation, calculated by the Environment Agency and based upon the annual UK WEEE Collection Target

The “market share” obligation is calculated per category and per year.

Market share is = (total weight of your PV panels placed on the UK territory during the previous year ÷ total weight of all PV panels placed on the UK territory during the previous year ) x Collection Target for PV Panels defined for the current year

FINANCING. The administration and the collection and recycling system is financed by the Producer through a number of costs:

• Environment Agency Fee
• Joining Fee
• Waste Management Charges

One of these charges – besides B2B collection and recycling orders – is the annual Collection Target obligation.

The Collection Target obligation is calculated per category of EEE and per year based upon the annual UK WEEE Collection Target for each of the 14 EEE Categories. The annual Collection Target is defined by the Environment Agency by 31 March each year.

Market share is equal to the total weight of your PV panels placed on the UK territory during the previous year divided by the total weight of all PV panels placed on the UK territory during the previous year, and multiplied with the Collection Target for PV Panels defined for the current year.

COMMUNICATION AND AWARENESS. 

• Inform users about the E-waste and PV panel waste collection system.  
• Mark visibly the EEE and PV Panels with a crossed-out wheeled bin besides the brand name.
• Inform waste treatment facilities about the composition of the EEE and PV panels and – eventually - the presence of hazardous materials and their location in the equipment.

The UK WEEE Regulations 2013, No. 3113 apply since 1 January 2014.

At that time, these Regulations were the British transposition of the WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU.

Since Brexit, the UK WEEE Regulations continue to exist. Between 28 December 2023 and 7 March 2024, a joint consultation was held between the UK government, Scottish government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA).

The next steps are displayed here. (link to www.gov.uk/government/consultations/electrical-waste-reforming-the-producer-responsibility-system/outcome/summary-of-responses-and-government-response) 

Download the UK WEEE Regulations 2013. (link to www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3113/contents )

Does your company places EEE or PV panels on the British territory?

By joining PV CYCLE UK, you are immediately in compliance with your legal obligations!

Choose simplicity. When you join PV CYCLE UK, we take care of your obligations: your company is registered at the public authorities and we ensure that the PV Panels and any other EEE are collected and recycled. Through our online reporting tool, you provide a quarterly overview of the PV panels and EEE you have placed on the market.

A sustainable choice. PV CYCLE UK guarantees an efficient collection of your PV Panels in order to achieve the annual Collection Target imposed by the public authorities for all Categories of Electrical and Electronic Equipment.This annual target is only published by the end of March, which means that during one quarter our PCS is more or less blind.

The collected tonnes of PV Panels and EEE are only processed in Approved Authorised Treatment Facilities (AATF’s), a pre-requisite to evidence the collected tonnes in relation to achieving the annual Collection Target.

An Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF) is a permitted site carrying out treatment on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Treatment can include depollution, disassembly, shredding, recovery, or preparation for disposal. Any operator of a site or sites receiving WEEE direct from a designated collection facility (DCF), distributor, or end-user can apply to become AATF. Only operators of approved AATFs can issue evidence notes for the treatment, recovery or recycling of WEEE that takes place in the UK.

Through an AATF, you are assured that the valuable materials are not lost and the not or less valuable materials are treated in accost efficient way.Moreover, PV CYCLE UK only uses local recycling companies, supporting local employment.

Led by the PV industry. We understand each challenge which the PV Industry faces  and we deliver a hassle-free solution to WEEE compliance

Not-for-profit.  Our non-for-profit but efficient solutions ensure the best value for WEEE compliance compared to for-profit driven other providers

Focus on the Producer. PV CYCLE UK was created to protect the interests of the Producers with special interest for PV Panels. Some Waste treatment (recycling) plants do not even offer WEEE-Compliance services but are only interested in tonnes of waste.

Our Team. PV CYCLE UK consist of a skilled, experienced and dedicated team of experts with a long track record in WEEE Compliance. We are there to provide you with personal advice and tailor-made guidance

One-stop-shop. PV CYCLE UK covers the entire compliance, operational and administrative process for managing PV Panels and any other EEE, from registration to take-back, transportation and recycling.

Creditworthy. Through our parent organisation, PV CYCLE, we manage the only fully operational system for all PV technologies across Europe, which has already organised the collection and recycling of more than one hundred and twenty thousand tonnes of PV Panels and other WEEE.

The take-back and Extended Producer Responsibility obligations apply to:

• Standard photovoltaic PV panels in a PV power system connected to the grid.
• Photovoltaic PV panels used for stand-alone off-grid applications, such as in a caravan or in combination with a battery as well as plug-in PV Panels.
• Photovoltaic PV panels integrated into building components such as roof tiles, windows or façade walls, so-called Building Integrated PV (BIPV).

Photovoltaic (solar) cells integrated into backpacks, phone chargers, fans, lamps, fountains, radios, watches or garden lights are not considered as PV Panels.They are standard Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) when they meet the definition of EEE.

There are 14 Cateogries of EEE:

1. Large household appliances
2. Small household appliances
3. IT and Telecommunications equipment
4. Consumer equipment
5. Lighting equipment
6. Electrical and electronic tools (except large scale stationary industrial tools)
7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
8. Medical devices (except implanted and infected products)
9. Monitoring and control equipment
10. Automatic dispensers
11. Display equipment
12. Appliances containing refrigerants
13. Gas discharge lamps and light-emitting diode (LED) light sources
14. PV (photovoltaic) panels