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Activities of the scheme
Categories of electrical and electronic equipment
The ASEKOL company is registered with the Ministry of the Environment as the only collective scheme providing for taking back historical electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) in categories 3, 4 and 7. Furthermore, ASEKOL is authorized to provide for taking back new EEE in the following categories:
6. Electrical and electronic tools
8. Medical devices
9. Monitoring and control devices
10. Automatic dispensers
Clients
The ASEKOL collective scheme registers approximately 500 producers and importers of EEE. The number of registered producers and importers is constantly increasing. The client structure is diverse – from major multinational companies and retail chains to smaller firms. The clients associated in the ASEKOL collective scheme place approx. 40,000 tonnes of new EEE on the market every year.
System of financing
The producers and importers of EEE finance the system through their fees. The fees are paid to ASEKOL quarterly on the basis of the quantity of EEE placed on the market by the producer or importer in the given quarter.
The fee consists of three parts:
- System fee – a lump-sum fee covering the costs of administrative operation of the system; its amount is the same for all clients.
- PHE – the fee for historical EEE is calculated per item of EEE placed on the market. It serves for financing disposal of historical waste. It is stated visibly and is thus collected from end consumers.
- PNE – the fee for new EEE is calculated per item of EEE placed on the market. It serves to create a reserve for future disposal of new EEE. It is not stated visibly and is thus paid from funds of the importer/producer.
Fees for historical and new EEE are calculated separately for each type of EEE. This prevents cross-financing, i.e. the possibility of financing disposal of a certain type of EEE from fees collected for some other type of EEE. In cases where the EEE for which a fee has been paid is exported abroad, it is possible to apply for a refund.
The operation of the system – collection, transport and recycling of EEE – and awareness-raising are paid from the collected fees.
Control mechanisms
The control procedures of the ASEKOL collective scheme are founded on several pillars. The internal control system includes, in particular, the supervisory board and the general meeting of shareholders, as well as working advisory boards composed of representatives of the producers associated in the collective scheme. The economic management of ASEKOL is checked annually by a renowned independent international audit company in the form of a voluntary statutory audit.
The external control system includes audits of the clients and suppliers of the collective scheme. Through its own inspectors, ASEKOL performs inspections of waste collection yards throughout the territory of the Czech Republic. Audit companies are employed to carry out audits of treatment operators and transport companies. Audits of treatment operators include particularly control of record-keeping, control of the equipment of storage places and control of the treatment process. Within the control audits of logistic companies, emphasis is placed particularly on compliance with the deadlines for pick-up.
Control audits are also carried out at the clients of the ASEKOL collective scheme, including control of the accuracy of reporting EEE placed on the market.
Collection system
Collection is implemented by means of the collection network, which consists of:
- Waste collection yards and mobile pick-ups in municipalities
- Sales outlets and repair shops for EEE
Containers located on public premises or in public buildings serve as supplementary collection sites.
Companies and institutions can take advantage of individual pick-up of larger quantities of EEE or excessively large EEE.
At the present time, the collection network of the ASEKOL collective scheme covers almost 90 % of the population of the Czech Republic.
System of transport and processing
For logistic purposes, the Czech Republic has been divided into 40 pick-up areas. Pick-up companies are chosen on the basis of selection procedures, which take place every two years. For each pick-up area, one transport company is entrusted with pick-ups from collection yards and one with pick-ups from other collection sites. Mobile pick-ups are provided by a pick-up company chosen by each given municipality. ASEKOL also uses the services of courier and mail order companies.
Treatment operators are also selected in selection procedures taking place at two-year intervals. ASEKOL cooperates with more than 20 treatment operators spread evenly throughout the territory of the Czech Republic. Almost half of them consist in sheltered workshops, which employ workers with altered working capacity. EEE collected within one pick-up area is always handed over to a single treatment operator. ASEKOL ensures the environmental quality of treatment in the following ways:
- by drawing up a binding guideline for treatment operators (it describes how the treatment operators are to proceed in treatment)
- by regular audits of treatment operators (at least once annually at each treatment operator), which are performed by own ASEKOL´s auditors and by the international auditing companies as well
- by a contract stipulating contractual penalties
- by introducing the ISO 9001, ISO 14 001 and ISO 18 001 systems
PR and communication
In the long term, ASEKOL provides for awareness-raising and education in the area of taking back EEE, amongst both general and professional public. Given the fact that ASEKOL’s activities in the area of PR and awareness-raising are extensive and diverse, we mention only several of the most important projects.
A very successful road show called "Feed the Scrapman" was intended for the general public and won an award in the Czech Prize for Public Relations. In cooperation with Czech Television, ASEKOL created a five-part TV series “Where to put them?”. ASEKOL, in cooperation with Ecobat, provides an entertainment program entitled “Games with Asík and Bat” for schools.
ASEKOL organizes the "Take-Back" conference for the professional public. It also publishes the “Take-Back” journal, which was awarded the Golden Semicolon prize as the best journal in the governmental, public and non-profit sphere.
Published on: 24. 04. 2012
Author: Mgr. Jan Vrba