Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): reuse and treatment
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-16)

Apply to become an approved authorised treatment facility (AATF) and how to operate legally under the approval.

If you operate a WEEE authorised treatment facility (ATF) and are actively receiving, treating and recycling WEEE, you can apply for additional approval to become an AATF.

AATFs can issue evidence notes (#IE) for reuse and treatment on the UK WEEE they receive on behalf of producer compliance schemes (PCSs). This WEEE is known as ‘obligated WEEE’.

See the detail in the WEEE evidence and national protocols guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weee-evidence-and-national-protocols-guidance).

To apply for approval you must have an exemption, permit or licence to operate a WEEE ATF site and you must:
- receive WEEE from a designated collection facility (DCF) or a PCS who collected that WEEE
- reuse or treat WEEE on behalf of a PCS in line with best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques (BATRRT) (http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130402151656/http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/producer/electrical/documents/weee-batrrt-guidance.pdf)
If you sort, disassemble, shred or prepare for further recovery you are treating WEEE.

AATF: apply for approval

You must be the operator of the ATF and have the correct exemption (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste-exemption-t11-repairing-or-refurbishing-waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee), environmental permit (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/standard-rules-environmental-permitting#keeping-transfer-of-waste) or licence.

You apply to the environmental regulator (#ER) of the UK country in which your facility is located.

You must apply for approval every year. If you want your approval to start on 1 January you must apply by 30 September in the previous year. You can apply for approval at any time in the year but you must allow 12 weeks before you want the approval to start.

You need to download and complete application form WMP5 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wmp5-application-form-approved-authorised-treatment-facility-aatf).

With your application form you need to:
- attach a sampling and inspection plan
- attach a completed template of actual annual recovery and recycling rates (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weee-evidence-and-national-protocols-guidance)
- pay the correct application fee
Charges for AATFs

All Environment Agency annual charges relating to the WEEE regime are set out in Part 2 of the Waste (Miscellaneous) (England) Charging Scheme 2018 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-miscellaneous-charging-scheme/waste-miscellaneous-england-charging-scheme-2018#:~:text=Where%20a%20small%20producer%20has,(2)%20is%20%C2%A3150.).

If you are approved as a small AATF and issue evidence for more than 400 tonnes of WEEE during a compliance year you must pay the balance of the higher charge to the relevant environmental regulator within 28 days.

For AATFs in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales refer to your environmental regulator for details.

Sampling and inspection plan

Your plan must include details of:
- the weight of WEEE that arrives at your site
- the source of the WEEE
- whether it’s obligated or non-obligated
- the category of the WEEE
- whether it’s household (business to consumer – B2C) or non-household (business to business – B2B) (https://www.gov.uk/business-to-consumer-b2c-and-business-to-business-b2b-eee-and-weee-how-to-correctly-identify)
- the quantity in tonnes and category of any WEEE that is reused at your site (and other sites if you issue evidence on their behalf)
- your use of nationally agreed protocols (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weee-evidence-and-national-protocols-guidance)
If you operate more than one ATF you must apply for approval for each site. You need to send a completed form with the correct fee for each application.

Recovery and recycling rate template

See the guidance on how to complete the template (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weee-evidence-and-national-protocols-guidance).

Your information is used to report the UK recovery and recycling rates to demonstrate that the minimum percentages have been met.

Environmental regulators

Send your application form and fee to:

England

Email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Telephone: 03708 506 506

WEEE Producer ResponsibilityEnvironment AgencyQuadrant 299 Parkway AvenueParkway Business ParkSheffieldS9 4WF

Scotland

Email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Telephone: xx-xxxx-xxxx

Producer Compliance and Waste Shipment UnitScottish Environment Protection AgencyStrathallan HouseCastle Business ParkStirlingFK9 4TZ

Northern Ireland

Email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Telephone: xx-xxxx-xxxx

Producer Responsibility UnitNorthern Ireland Environment Agency1st Floor BradanNIEA Lisburn17 Antrim RoadTonagh, LISBURNBT28 3AL

Wales

Email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Telephone: xx-xxxx-xxxx

Producer Responsibility UnitNatural Resources WalesRivers HouseSt Mellons Business ParkSt MellonsCardiffCF3 0EY

Find out about call charges (https://www.gov.uk/call-charges).

AATF: your duties

You must:
- follow the duty of care (https://www.gov.uk/dispose-business-commercial-waste) requirements
- follow the hazardous waste regulations (https://www.gov.uk/dispose-hazardous-waste) for items of WEEE that contain hazardous parts
- store and treat all separately collected WEEE using best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques (BATRRT) (http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130402151656/http:/archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/producer/electrical/documents/weee-batrrt-guidance.pdf)
See ‘more information’ (#MI) for additional advice on collecting and treating WEEE.

Prioritise reuse of whole appliances

AATFs must work with PCSs and designated collection facilities (DCFs) to prioritise reuse of whole appliances and remove these products at the earliest opportunity from the WEEE treatment and recycling chain.

Keep records and report

You must complete a quarterly return and submit it to the environmental regulator that granted your approval.

You must do this through the WEEE online system (https://weee.service.gov.uk).

In each quarterly return you must state the:
- total amount of WEEE received for treatment in tonnes by category, whether household or non-household, and the scheme it was received from
- total amount of WEEE delivered to another ATF for treatment in tonnes by category, whether household or non-household and the scheme it was received from, including the name and address of the ATF operator and the site address of where the treatment took place if different
- total amount of WEEE for reuse as a whole appliance in tonnes by category, whether household or non-household and the scheme it was received from, which you will issue evidence on and where WEEE is not received by you but goes direct to another site doing the refurbishment under contract to you, the name and address of the ATF operator
- name of each scheme that evidence has been issued to and the total tonnage of evidence issued to that scheme
- total amount of non-obligated WEEE received in tonnes by category
- total amount of non-obligated WEEE received from DCFs in tonnes by category
If you have no data to report for a quarter you must still report this by submitting a nil reut

You must keep a copy of your data and any supporting information you used to make the return. For example, waste consignment and transfer notes, contract details, weighbridge tickets, photographs and invoices as added proof of your work. You must keep these for 4 years.

Your environmental regulator will check this information when doing compliance audits.

Quarterly reporting dates

You must submit your data returns for:
- quarter 1 (January, February, March) by 30 April
- quarter 2 (April, May, June) by 31 July
- quarter 3 (July, August, September) by 31 October
- quarter 4 (October, November, December) by 31 January
Issue evidence

You must issue evidence notes to a PCS via WEEE Online (https://weee.service.gov.uk/) – a secure website that generates evidence notes.

See the WEEE evidence and national protocols guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/weee-evidence-and-national-protocols-guidance) for details on how to:
- issue evidence notes
- meet WEEE recovery and recycling targets
- apply WEEE protocols (to work out the amount of different categories of WEEE in mixed loads)
WEEE export rules

You must apply to become an approved exporter (AE) or ensure you export via an AE if you want to:
- issue evidence on whole appliances for reuse overseas received from, or on behalf of, a PCS
- export materials extracted from WEEE for treatment, recovery or recycling outside the UK (that have been received from an AATF who issues the evidence on this WEEE)
See the guidance on how to apply to become an approved exporter (https://www.gov.uk/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-exporting).

Sanctions for non-compliance

Your environmental regulator may suspend or cancel your AATF status if you fail, or are likely to fail, to comply with any of the conditions in Part 2 (AATF), or Part 3 (AE) of Schedule 11 of the WEEE regulations (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3113/schedule/11/made) or supply false or misleading information.

You’ll receive a notice which:
- gives the reasons for the suspension or cancellation
- states the actions you need to take to lift the suspension or reapply for approval
- describes your right to appeal
Your WEEE Online account and public register entry will be updated to reflect your status.

A suspension or cancellation of your approval means you cannot issue evidence notes – only WEEE received during ‘approved’ status can have evidence issued against it.

Other sanctions for non-compliance are:
- warning letters
- formal cautions
- at a magistrates court an unlimited fine for each offence
- at Crown Court an unlimited fine