Skip to content
Disclaimer

Information only, not legal or professional advice. Provided without responsibility, and no liability is accepted for reliance on it. Verify against the linked sources.

Packaging Rules CheckEU packaging rules for small sellers

Question

I sell electricals. Is packaging the only thing I have to register for?

Reviewed 2026-08-16

Commonly said

Registering for one producer scheme covers the others.

No. The product and its packaging are two separate schemes, with separate registrations and fees.

Two different things

  • WEEE covers the electrical item itself — the adaptor, charger, lamp or whatever you sell.
  • Packaging rules cover the box, the insert and any wrapping it comes in.
  • Registering for one does nothing for the other. Different law, different register, different fee.

WEEE in the UK

  • The law is the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013.
  • Sell under 5 tonnes of electricals a year and you count as a small producer.
  • Small producers register directly with the regulator and pay a yearly charge, rather than joining a scheme and paying recycling costs.
  • If you import the goods yourself, you are the producer, even though someone else made them.
  • The regulator is NIEA in Northern Ireland, the Environment Agency in England, SEPA in Scotland and NRW in Wales.

Selling electricals into the EU

  • Your UK registration does not cover you. Each EU country runs its own WEEE scheme.
  • You register in every country you sell to, the same as for packaging.
  • You will usually need a representative in each country as well.
  • For Ireland, look at WEEE Ireland or ERP Ireland.

Other schemes that might catch you

  • Batteries, if your product contains one or is sold with one.
  • Some countries run separate schemes for other product types, such as textiles and furniture.
  • Check each one separately. There is no single registration that covers them all.

If you are in Northern Ireland

  • You register under the UK WEEE rules, with NIEA.
  • Whether EU WEEE also applies to you is not settled, and we have not been able to confirm it. Ask NIEA in writing and keep the reply.
  • Selling from NI to the Republic is selling into the EU, so expect the Irish scheme to apply to those sales.

Sources

Get told when the rules change

One email when something actually changes. Not a newsletter. You’ll get a confirmation link first.

Used only for rule-change notices. Unsubscribe any time.