How to prepare WEEE reuse and treatment information
Collect model-specific component and material details, map dangerous substances and mixtures, and prepare information that treatment operators can access free of charge. Provide it within one year of first placing each new equipment type on the market. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate the factory information with its staff in China.
Define the information pack
The producer must provide free information about preparation for reuse and environmentally sound treatment for each new equipment type within one year of first placing it on the market. Our WEEE importer guide covers producer status and registration; this guide focuses on preparing that information.
Start a file for each equipment type, identifying the brand, model, factory and design revision. Record the first market-placement date and appoint someone to collect, review and release the information. Preparing the pack before shipment is a useful purchasing milestone.
Ask the factory for component details
The information must identify the different components and materials so far as reasonably required by someone carrying out treatment activities. Ask the factory for a model-specific BOM, material descriptions, labelled internal photographs and an assembly drawing. Our BOM guide explains how to organise the underlying component list.
Ask the factory engineer to explain access to batteries, circuit boards, cables, housings and other relevant assemblies. Request disassembly steps, fastening methods, required tools and handling cautions. Check the drawings against a production sample, especially where several models share a similar exterior.
Locate dangerous substances and mixtures
The information must identify where dangerous substances and mixtures are located, so far as reasonably required for treatment activities. Ask the factory to connect each declaration to a named component and mark its position on the drawing or photographs.
Request supporting material declarations and SDS where relevant. A general statement that the product contains no hazardous substances gives the reviewer little to check. Ask what was assessed, which components the evidence covers and what remains unknown; resolve gaps with the factory or a suitable specialist before releasing the pack.
Make recipient access work
The producer must make the information available to anyone carrying out treatment activities, through manuals or electronic media. Prepare an English pack that reuse, treatment and recycling operators can use, with clear model identification and a working contact route.
A downloadable file or managed document service can be practical. Test access from outside your company and check that drawings remain readable. If access needs an account or a request, assign someone to handle it and test the process. Remove purchasing prices and unrelated commercial details while preserving useful treatment information.
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Track the deadline and factory changes
Calculate the provision deadline from first market placement, using the one-year period. Keep the dated release, the supplied file and a record of how recipients can access it. These are practical ways to demonstrate what you provided and when.
Ask the factory to notify you of component or material changes and review whether the pack still matches supplied goods. Follow our factory substitution guide when approving changes. Keep earlier revisions tied to the equipment they describe so an operator can find the relevant information.
Frequently asked questions
When must I provide WEEE treatment information?
Within one year of first placing each new equipment type on the market. Record that date and prepare the pack before shipment where possible.
Is the factory BOM enough?
Use it as a starting point. Add material descriptions, dangerous-substance locations and clear drawings or photographs that help an operator understand the equipment.
Who must be able to access the information?
Anyone carrying out treatment activities must have access through manuals or electronic media. The information must be provided free of charge.
What if the factory changes a component?
Review the component details, materials and substance locations. Update the pack where needed and identify which equipment revision each file covers.