Attention Retailers & Wholesalers: Are you in compliance with the vapes you sell?
Did you know disposable and rechargeable Vapes and E-cigarette devices are in scope of the European WEEE Directive, European Battery Regulations and Irish WEEE Regulations?
If you purchase these products from an unregistered supply chain, you can incur Producer Responsibility under these Regulations.
Producer Responsibility includes registration with the Producer Register Ltd, reporting monthly sales in Ireland and financing takeback solutions for waste vapes and the batteries they contain, arising from end users. You can check if your supplier is registered as a Producer on the PRL website »
If you supply unregistered products to other retailers or directly to consumers you can be considered in breach of the Regulations and subject to enforcement action.
Fixed Penalty notices can be issued by the EPA or local authority for offences including the following:
- Failure by a producer to register with the registration body, Producer Register Limited.
- Failure by a producer to report to the prlblackbox.
- The display of a producer registration number (e.g., on an invoice, credit note or website)
by a producer who is not validly registered. - Failure, by a distance seller who is also a producer, to display a valid producer registration
number on their website. - Failure by a producer or distributor of batteries, who is also a distance seller, to properly
display information on take-back of waste batteries (e.g., websites, catalogues and brochures). - Failure by a distributor/retailer to display information signs (such as not providing information
to customers on WEEE take-back or on the appropriate disposal of WEEE). - The refusal by a retailer or distributor to accept the return of waste batteries, free of charge.
- The selling of WEEE from private households.
The full list of relevant offences that are subject to a Fixed Payment Notice is in the Fixed Payment Notice regulations.
The amount that may be payable for a Fixed Payment Notice ranges from €500 TO €2,000 PER OFFENCE.
Did you know you can report in confidence suspected non-compliant importers of vapes and e-cigarette devices to the EPA using their free rider EEE producer complaint form?
If you are importing vapes and e-cigarette devices into Ireland from Northern Ireland, UK or other suppliers then contact the PRL to register as a Producer www.producerregister.ie
Further information and guidance on compliance with the WEEE Regulations can be found on the EPA website at www.epa.ie