1. What is regulated in the Rulebook on Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products

According to the principle of extended manufacturers' responsibility, all importers, distributors and manufacturers of e-equipment (electrical and electronic equipment) must ensure proper reporting on products placed/sold in the territory of the FBiH and disposal of equipment at the end of their lifespan, unless this obligation is transferred to the company ZEOS eco-system d.o.o.

The Rulebook on Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products regulates:

• the manner and procedure for notifying of the placement of electrical and electronic products on the market,
• establishment of a system for handover, collection and processing of waste electrical and electronic products and the operation of that system.

2. I have no electrical and electronic waste, why pay a fee?

The fee is paid for electrical and electronic products that are for the first time placed/sold on the market of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fee is used to collect and dispose of e-waste currently on the market, educate and invest in a separate e-waste collection infrastructure.

3. What is electrical and electronic equipment?

Electrical and electronic equipment are the products which, in order to operate properly, need electricity or electromagnetic fields, as well as products intended for generation, transmission and measurement of flows and fields, if classified into one of the classes or subclasses below, and used at voltages not exceeding 1000 V for alternating current and 1500 V for direct current;

See here for a detailed list of the devices covered by this rulebook.

5. Who are the participants of the system under the Rulebook on Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products?

Participants of the e-waste management and disposal system are manufacturers, importers and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment that place equipment on the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina market for the first time. Distributors, that place equipment on the market for the first time must join the e-waste management and disposal system. For the rest of the equipment they sell, they must obtain a proof from manufacturers and importers that they have included their electrical and electronic equipment in the system. Otherwise, they themselves are responsible for including the equipment in the system and for paying a fee for that equipment.*

* The ZEOS eco-system company encourages distributors to require, from their suppliers of electrical and electronic equipment, a certificate of inclusion in the system, where they are distributors of equipment, not manufacturers and importers.

6. What is meant by "placement on the market for the first time"?

Placement on the market for the first time means the first sale on the FBiH market of manufactured or imported equipment to other users and/or if the equipment is manufactured or imported in the FBiH and the manufacturer or importer is also the end user of that equipment.

7. What are the obligations of the System Participant under the Rulebook on Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products?

The manufacturer, distributor or importer is under obligation to submit to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of FBiH and the Environmental Protection Fund of FBiH a report on the quantity, weight and type of equipment placed on the market. The report is completed electronically via the application on the website www.zeos.ba.

All manufacturers and importers are required to pay a general fee to the Environmental Protection Fund of FBiH. The fee is paid on a semi-annual basis upon the issuance of the Decision.
Manufacturers and importers that have not delegated their obligations to the operator ZEOS eco-system d.o.o. must pay a fee for the management of waste equipment to the Environmental Protection Fund of FBiH, in adition to the general fee.

All manufacturers, importers and distributors that have not paid the fee for the placed products since the effective date of the Rulebook, must prepare reports and pay retroactively to the Environmental Protection Fund of FBiH for all defaulted years except for the current year in which they transferred their obligation to the ZEOS eco-system d.o.o. operator.

8. Why would I transfer my obligation to the operator if I pay both the general and the management fee to the Environmental Protection Fund of FBiH, what is the difference?

All importers, distributors and manufacturers are required to pay a general fee; however, those who transfer their obligation to the ZEOS eco-system operator d.o.o. pay lower waste management fees, have free electrical and electronic waste disposal, treatment and recycling services provided, receive access to an electronic reporting application for placing electrical and electronic equipment on the FBiH market, receive all necessary legal support and documentation, and do not stress about fulfilling their obligation. There is also a possibility for collaboration and joint marketing activities on raising awareness and actions for the collection of electrical and electronic waste. All these benefits are provided to clients free of charge.

9. Who is the System Operator?

The System Operator is a legal entity to which manufacturers, importers and distributors have transferred the obligation to manage and dispose of waste equipment, or to conclude an agreement on the transfer of the obligation to manage waste equipment to the ZEOS eco-system d.o.o. In addition to the disposal of electrical and electronic waste, the operator also reports on the products placed on the FBiH market and pays a lower fee for such products.

The primary objective of the System Operator is to comply with the legal requirements set out in the Rulebook.

10. What are the fines for non-compliance with the provisions of the Rulebook on Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products?

Penal provisions under Articles 52 and 53 of the Law on Waste Management and other special regulations will apply.

11. How will the enforcement of the Rulebook on Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products be monitored?

Waste management activities and the fulfillment of the requirements listed in the permit, in accordance with the Law on Waste Management and the regulations adopted thereunder, will be supervised by environmental protection inspectors together with market and tourist-catering inspectors, the federal inspector at the federal level and the cantonal inspector at the cantonal level.