Austria WEEE Compliance

Collection and Recycling Arrangements in Austria

Under the Austrian Ordinance on Waste Prevention, Collection and Treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE Ordinance) that came into force on August 13th 2005, for equipment that you buy from Black Box after August 13th 2005, Black Box is required to finance the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE that your new purchase replaces, on a one-for-one, like-for-like basis. The old equipment that your new purchase from Black Box replaces is referred to as Historic WEEE.

Under the WEEE Ordinance, Black Box is also required to finance the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of any electrical and electronic equipment that you buy from Black Box after August 13th 2005, when that equipment eventually becomes waste. This is referred to as New WEEE.

Black Box products are very competitively priced. Any new increase in operating costs for manufacturers such as Black Box is normally reflected in a price increase in the product. However, instead of increasing the prices of our products Black Box has decided to share these new environmental costs directly with our customers. We believe in being transparent with you on any new environmental costs that our products need to address.

Our approach to sharing these new environmental costs are:

You pay for transportation of your WEEE to Black Box's appointed recycler in Austria.
Black Box pays for the costs of treatment, recycling and recovery of the WEEE to meet the targets set by the WEEE Ordinance.

Black Box pays for the costs of data management and reporting to the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Environment and Water Management to demonstrate compliance with all administrative requirements of the WEEE Ordinance.

Black Box has established a recycling contract with ERA. All Historic and New WEEE that arises from the purchase of Black Box products is classed as non-hazardous waste**

** Black Box customers sending equipment for recycling are advised that you MUST remove all batteries PRIOR to collection to avoid the equipment being classed as hazardous waste.

Under Austrian waste management regulations, you are free to use any carrier you wish to collect and transport the Historic and New WEEE to ERA.

WEEE Reporting Recycling Data for Black Box equipment in Austria

Under Article 24 of the WEEE Ordinance, Black Box must provide annual information of the quantities and categories of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market, reused, recycled and recovered within Austria.

The first WEEE recycling report will cover the period from August 2005 and be available from April 2006.