EU legislation on electro-waste
(WEEE – waste electric and electronic appliance) dates back to 2003, when the so-called WEEE Directive came into force. It was the European Union’s response to the problem of large numbers of obsolete, unfashionable and used electronic devices.
This was because most of them contained dangerous chemicals such as Freon, mercury or lead, which, if not handled carefully, could become a threat to human health and the environment. The regulations aimed to reduce
the number of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE),
and, in addition, their reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery. Another task of the directive was to improve the environmental performance of all those involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment, i.e. producers, distributors and consumers, especially those directly involved in the treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

1. large-sized household appliances (e.g. refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves),
2. small-sized household appliances,
3. IT and telecommunications equipment,
4. consumer appliances (e.g. TV, radio, cameras),
5. lighting appliances,
6. electrical and electronic instruments (except large-scale stationary industrial instruments),
7. toys, recreational and sports equipment,
8. medical devices (except any implanted and contaminated devices),
9. surveillance and control instruments,
10. automatic machines.

The WEEE Directive also introduced, among other things, new deadlines, selective collection rules,
financing and reporting obligations, or recycling targets.
These regulations were subsequently transposed into Polish law in 2005.

As of January 1, 2016, Poland has a new WEEE Act,
which transposes the so-called WEEE 2 Directive of 2012 (No. 2012/19/EU).
Among other things, it introduces increased obligations to collect and process
and processing of WEEE – 65% by weight from 2021, a new division into 6 WEEE groups from 2018,
as well as an obligation to collect WEEE free of charge at delivery points of new equipment (1:1 rule).
Under the old Law, consumers had to deliver WEEE to the store if they wanted to give it away free of charge when buying new household appliances.
Stores also have an obligation to collect small WEEE without quantity restrictions
(provided that they have no dimension exceeding 25 cm).

In addition, under the provisions of the law in force since 2016, an entity that is not based in the country and distributes equipment for which there is no established introducer in Poland may transfer the obligations imposed on it by this law to an authorized representative. The manufacturer’s authorized representative must be registered with BDO (Baza Danych o Odpadach, ang. Waste Database).