Dual use WEEE lighting classification explained at LIA Technical Forum
Presenting to the LIA Technical Forum
The LIA Technical Forum, held twice a year near Stratford-upon-Avon, is always a very useful event. Attendees receive timely updates on many aspects of standardisation, legislation and technology changes as they affect the lighting industry. So I was particularly pleased to be invited to talk on the impact of dual use WEEE on Lighting at the meeting on 1 July.
Dual use in lighting
After a consultation, the Government announced their decision to implement dual use in October 2014, and guidance was published in February 2015. –That guidance confirmed that Producers should classify dual use products – those sold to businesses that could also be used by consumers – as household. At the LIA, we published our own guidance note which built upon the Government’s guidance by providing additional examples.
Dual use in luminaires
Household luminaires are out of scope until 2019. Therefore, luminaires that are sold to businesses and which are dual use, should now be classified as household until 2019. As a result, a number of producers may no longer need to comply with the regulations.
Dual use in lamps
The Government’s guidance on lamps is clear: –
“The majority of lamps are designed and capable of dual use so should be classified as B2C. Classify as B2C gas discharge lamps, LED light sources (lamps) and sodium lamps (includes retrofit and non-retrofit lamps). Classify as B2B floodlights for stadiums and lamps used in cinema projectors”.
LIA guidance is therefore:
“We recommend that you classify all lamps (both traditional and LED) as B2C except the following: Lamps for use in stadium lighting; Xenon and LED cinema projector lamps; Any similar lamps designed specifically and solely for industrial applications”.
Timescales for reporting to Environment Agency
The new approach to categorisation should be backdated to 1st January 2015. Producer Compliance Schemes report their household data to the environment agencies quarterly, so it is important that all Producers declare their Q2 data, and correct their Q1 data, if appropriate.
