E-Cycle WA information for retailers

Are you a retailer?

For the purposes of the E-Cycle WA program, a retailer is a person or business who offers a new covered electronic product (television, computer, laptop, monitor, tablet, or portable DVD player) for sale at retail through any means.

"Retailer" includes not only retail stores, but also remote offerings such as sales outlets, catalogs, or the internet. Retailers do not include persons or businesses engaging in wholesale transactions with a distributor or retailer.

What do retailers need to do?

1. Sell labeled products
   As of Jan. 1, 2007, no retailer may sell or offer for sale a covered electronic product to any person in Washington unless the covered electronic product bears a label with the manufacturer’s brand. The label must be permanently affixed and readily visible.
2. Sell products from registered manufacturers
   To sell or offer for sale a covered electronic product to any person in Washington, a retailer must ensure that on the date they order the product:
   • The brand name on the covered electronic product is on the Manufacturer Registration List on our website.
   • The manufacturer of that brand is in "pending" or "in compliance" status.
   • Each type of covered electronic product being ordered is identified for that brand name. We recommend that retailers print the registered manufacturer list for their records when placing an order for covered electronic products to verify the manufacturer’s status on the day they place the order.
3. Provide public outreach
   Retailers are required to provide take-home printed information about E-Cycle WA to customers at the point of sale (POS). Internet sellers must include this information in an easily visible location on their website. Our Retailer Toolkit provides guidance to help retailers meet the obligations under the electronic recycling law, including point of sale suggestions and information on how to promote the E-Cycle WA program.

Registering as a manufacturer

Some retailers may need to register as manufacturers for the purposes of this program. This may occur if a retailer sells a covered electronic product at retail and:

• Has legal ownership of the brand, brand name, or co-brand.
• Acquires the product from an importer who has legal ownership of the brand, brand-name, or co-brand, and elects to register in lieu of the importer as the manufacturer for those products.

Visit the manufacturer page to learn more about what manufacturers have to do.

Retailers participating as collectors

Retailers are not required to become a collection site. Doing so is voluntary for the retailers. Retailers that wish to collect covered electronic products for the E-Cycle WA program may do so. To do this they must register with us. Visit the collector page to learn how to register as a collector.