National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme
Corporations that imported or manufactured television or computer products covered by the Recycling and Waste Reduction (Product Stewardship—Televisions and Computers) Rules 2021 in the previous financial year may be considered liable parties under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.
In any year, an importer or manufacturer is liable if they imported or manufactured more than a unit threshold amount during the previous financial year. The threshold amounts are:
- 5000 units of televisions
- 5000 units of computers or printers
- 15,000 units of computer parts or peripherals.
A liable party must be a constitutional corporation—a trading or financial corporation formed in Australia or a foreign corporation. A liable party can be part of a group of related bodies. If a group of related corporate bodies has collectively imported over a threshold, then any member that imports over 1,000 of any of these products must take part in the scheme.
Requirements for liable parties
The Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 requires liable parties to fund the recycling of end-of-life television and computer products by becoming a member of an approved co-regulatory arrangement.
These organisations manage the day-to-day operation of the scheme and ensure outcomes are met on behalf of their members. Co-regulatory arrangements must meet a recycling target based on their members’ share of total liable imports or manufactured products in the previous financial year. They may take liable party’s exports into account when determining membership fees.
Importers have a legal responsibility to provide accurate information on their customs import declarations. This data is supplied to the Department of the Environment and Energy, who notifies importers that have exceeded one or more of the thresholds about their obligations under the scheme. A corporation that hasn’t met its obligation to become a member of a co-regulatory arrangement may be subject to substantial civil penalties.
Annual milestones for liable parties
The following table will help liable parties to understand and meet mandatory annual milestones:
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| Late May |
Early notification letters are sent to parties identified as likely to be liable based on import data covering the period 1 July to 30 April. The purpose of these letters is to alert importers to the likelihood that they are liable so that they can consider entering into an agreement with an approved co-regulatory arrangement. |
| Late July |
Letters are sent to importers identified as liable based on their imports in the previous financial year. These letters will include a detailed Statement of Advice summarising the imports on which the assessment was based and a notice under section 18 of the Product Stewardship Act 2011 requiring the organisation to become a member of an approved co-regulatory arrangement by 1 September. Liable parties should check the data in the Statements of Advice for errors and advise the Department of Home Affairs through their customs broker or freight forwarder of any necessary amendments by 31 October. Any applications for exemption from the scheme must be supplied in writing to the Department between late July and 1 September |
| 1 September |
Liable parties must join a co-regulatory arrangement and supply their import summary to their chosen arrangement by this date. A liable party that hasn’t met its obligation to become a member of a co-regulatory arrangement may be subject to substantial civil penalties. These penalties increase for every day that the liable party remains non-compliant. If a liable party leaves a co-regulatory arrangement during a financial year, it must join another arrangement in that financial year. A liable party that has not met its obligation to be a member of an approved co-regulatory arrangement remains liable in the following year. Liable parties should provide their co-regulatory arrangement with details of their exports as soon as they can. A co-regulatory arrangement may take a liable party’s exports into account when determining their membership fee. |
| 8 September |
Co-regulatory arrangements are required to provide their membership lists to the Department. Non-members can then expect follow up contact from the Department to encourage compliance. |
| 15 September |
Co-regulatory arrangements are required to provide their audited export report to the Department on behalf of their members by this date. A liable party must be a member of a co-regulatory arrangement before 15 September and exported television or computer products in the previous financial year for these products to be counted under the scheme. Liable parties must submit their export data to their co-regulatory arrangement—the Department cannot accept export data from liable parties. |
| 31 October |
Changes to the Department of Home Affairs data after this date will not be taken into account in the assessment of a corporation’s liability, except where the amount of goods for which the party is liable has increased as a result of the changes. |
| Mid November |
Updated Statements of Advice will be provided to those liable parties that have amended their import declarations with the Department of Home Affairs. These revised Statements should be provided to the liable party’s co-regulatory arrangement to signal a change in the amount of products imported by them. |
Product codes and targets
In determining whether companies are liable, the Recycling and Waste Reduction (Product Stewardship—Televisions and Computers) Rules 2021 rely on product codes corresponding to the products that are imported or manufactured. These codes are used by the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to identify imported products.
Each product is assigned a conversion factor. This is an average weight set by the Department in consultation with industry stakeholders to determine a fair approximation of the product under that code. These weights are also used to calculate how much e-waste is available to be recycled and the minimum target each co-regulatory arrangement is required to reach in a financial year.
Further information
- Fact sheet - Information for liable parties
- Fact sheet - How NTCRS targets are calculated
- Infographic - Roles and responsibilities of participants in the scheme
- Learn more about or join co-regulatory arrangements
Contact information
For more information on liable parties or the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme, contact ewaste@environment.gov.au or call 1800 332 783.