New WEEE requirements in the Netherlands increase transparency in PV module recycling fees

The WEEE System Stichting Open, an organisation for the take-back of WEEE from the Netherlands, has recently announced an important change to the WEEE requirements.

This change to the WEEE requirements in the Netherlands is of great importance, especially for companies that sell photovoltaic modules or intend to do so in the future. If you are not yet registered as a manufacturer, you should familiarise yourself with this new development.

From 1 July 2023, the recycling fees for photovoltaic (PV) modules must be shown separately on invoices. This measure aims to simplify control for environmental authorities and consumers and to raise awareness of the financial support for the collection and processing of discarded solar modules.

Until now, these fees were often hidden in the total cost of PV modules, which made it difficult to determine the actual cost of solar module disposal. With the separate listing on the invoices, it is now clear what proportion of the purchase price is used to finance the take-back system and the environmentally sound treatment of discarded modules.

This measure is part of the legal obligations to finance the collection and processing of WEEE, including PV modules. The recycling fees help to cover the costs of the environmentally sound disposal and recycling process of discarded solar modules.

At the same time, Stichting Batterijen, the take-back system for batteries in the Netherlands, has also increased its resources to identify and deal with free-riders. This underlines the joint effort of both Stichtingen to work together on an administrative and operational level to implement and enforce producer responsibility for batteries even more effectively.

To ensure that the new requirements are met, PV module manufacturers and distributors should adapt their billing systems to show recycling fees separately.

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