Requirements for Retailers of Covered Electronic Equipment

Retailers that sell covered electronic equipment (CEE) have a very important role to play in the New York State Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act. Retailers' responsibilities are detailed in Section 27-2607 of the NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act (PDF) (39 kB).

Who qualifies as a retailer?

A "retailer" means a person who sells CEE in the state through any means, including, but not limited to, transactions conducted through retail sales outlets, mail, catalogs, the telephone or the internet, or any electronic means.

A "retailer" does not include a person who sells or offers for sale fewer than 10 items of CEE during a calendar year.

What electronic waste is covered electronic equipment (CEE) under the law?

Computers
Televisions (as well as cathode ray tubes)
Small Scale Servers
Computer Peripherals¹
- Monitors
- Electronic Keyboards
- Electronic Mice or Similar Pointing Devices
- Facsimile Machines²
- Document Scanners²
- Printers²
Small Electronic Equipment¹
- VCRs
- Digital Video Recorders
- Portable Digital Music Players
- DVD Players
- Digital Converter Boxes
- Cable or Satellite Receivers
- Electronic or Video Game Consoles

1: Computer peripherals and small electronic equipment also include any cable, cord, or wiring permanently affixed to or incorporated into such product.

2: Only those intended for use with a computer and weighing less than 100 lbs.

Retailer requirements:

Provide information. At the point of sale, retailers shall provide purchasers of CEE with information, if any, about opportunities for the return of electronic waste that has been provided to the retailer by the manufacturer.
Sell only compliant brands. Beginning April 1, 2011, retailers will be prohibited from selling any CEE in the state unless the manufacturer and the manufacturer's brands are registered with the department. The department maintains a list of registered manufacturers and their brands on its website (see below), however, manufacturers shall also ensure that retailers are notified of such registration. Retailers will be allowed to sell unregistered CEE brands that they have purchased for a period of 180 days.
- Link to the list of New York State Registered Covered Electronic Equipment Manufacturers and their Brand(s). This list will be updated regularly to include newly registered manufacturers. Only those manufacturers' brands listed may be sold in or into New York State as of April 1, 2011. If a brand of CEE is not listed and its manufcturer was required to register under the law, then it may not be sold in the state.
Sell only labeled equipment. Beginning April 1, 2011, a retailer shall only offer for sale in the state CEE that has a visible, permanent label clearly identifying the manufacturer of that equipment.
Comply with disposal ban. Beginning April 1, 2011, no retailer in the state shall dispose of electronic waste at a solid waste management facility or hazardous waste management facility, or place electronic waste for collection which is intended for disposal at a solid waste management facility or hazardous waste management facility.