Commercial Application
Advice to Commercial Users on how to apply
Commercial Users - Choosing the right application form
Important advice: Before making an application, businesses and organisations should be aware of the commitments of Commercial Users.
There are two types of businesses or organisations that can apply for Signatory status as a Commercial User.
- Type A applicants are already recycling all waste mercury-containing lamps
- Type B applicants are not already recycling all waste mercury-containing lamps
Type A
The application from a Type A applicant needs to show that ongoing arrangements to recycle all waste mercury-containing lamps are in place and are consistent with the FluoroCycle Guidelines 2010 and this Manual.
Before submitting this application, you should become familiar with the commitments that apply to Commercial Users.
A Type A applicant as a Commercial User is a business or organisation that already has arrangements in place to recycle all of its waste mercury-containing lampsType A Advice
You may wish to include private or confidential information as part of the application. If that is the case, you should provide the information in a separate document clearly marked ‘private’ or ‘confidential’.
When assessing the application, the Administrator may decide to verify the information with a Collector or Recycling company. Where information in an application is marked ‘private’ or ‘confidential’, Collectors and Recycling companies are required to handle the information appropriately and maintain privacy and confidentiality.
Where you identify ‘private’ or ‘confidential’ information, Collectors and Recycling companies are required to handle that information appropriately and maintain privacy and confidentiality.
The application relates only to sites where arrangements are in place to collect and recycle all of the waste mercury-containing lamps. The application needs to specify where these sites are. Signatory status relates only to the sites specified in the application.
There are different ways of specifying the sites.
Some examples are:
- Where the site is a single building, the application could simply provide the address of that building.
- For a bigger concern, say a supermarket chain or a nationwide bank, the application needs to state which specific outlets or offices the application applies to.
- If a supermarket chain or nationwide bank has a policy in place and is confident that all waste mercury-containing lamps from all of its premises are recycled, then the application can contain a statement to that effect and does not need to specify each site or branch.
- Some organisations, eg government portfolios, may be responsible for several buildings in the one city or scattered across a state or nationwide. Arrangements may be in place to recycle the waste mercury-containing lamps generated by only some of these buildings and these should be identified in the application.
Important note:
When Signatory status is awarded to a Commercial User, that status applies only to the sites that were specified in the application and accepted by the Administrator. It is important to keep this in mind when a business or organisation represents its Signatory status, eg through claims or statements about its involvement with FluoroCycle.
For example, a national business needs to avoid giving the impression that waste lamps from all of its offices or outlets are recycled if this is not the case. On the other hand, any size business or organisation that recycles all waste lamps from its entire operations can claim that it is a Signatory in its entirety.
For a Commercial User, the sites that are relevant to Signatory status are specified on:
- the certificate awarded on first joining the scheme, and
- the listing on the FluoroCycle website.
The application should be accompanied by copies of documents that prove that all waste mercury-containing lamps from the specified sites are being recycled. Relevant documents are contracts, invoices, receipts or consignment notices.
The Administrator will contact the applicant if there are any questions about the documentation.
Type A applicants are already recycling waste mercury-containing lamps
Commercial Users Type A need to complete a Signatory Commitment
Download the Signatory Commitment document
NOTE: The most senior executive in each organisation is asked to sign the Signatory Commitment document.
Please review the commitments of a Commercial User here.
We ask that you submit a list of sites where recycling is already in place with your application.
Type B
There are different requirements for a Type B applicant:
- The application from a Type B applicant needs to include information about the arrangements that will be in place within 3 months of becoming a Signatory to recycle all waste mercury-containing lamps from one or more sites.
- Within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, a Type B applicant will provide documentation to the Administrator as evidence that those arrangements are in place.
- Within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, a Type B applicant will meet all the commitments of a Commercial User.
Before submitting this application, you should become familiar with the commitments that apply to Commercial Users, the application form and the process described below.
- Treatment of private and confidential information
- Identifying sites and organising collection
- Preparing a plan
- Steps after the application is lodged
A business or organisation that is not already recycling all of its waste mercury-containing lamps can apply as a Type B applicant. This is to encourage generators of waste lamps to put arrangements for recycling in place and join the scheme.
Type B Advice
You may wish to include private or confidential information as part of the application. If that is the case, you should provide the information in a separate document clearly marked ‘private’ or ‘confidential’.
The Administrator treats all information provided by applicants as private and confidential. When assessing the application, the Administrator may decide to verify the information with a Collector or Recycling company. Where information in an application is marked ‘private’ or ‘confidential’, Collectors and Recycling companies are required to handle that information appropriately and maintain privacy and confidentiality.
In an application for a Commercial User Type B, you need to:
- identify each of the sites where arrangements are to be put in place for all waste mercury-containing lamps to be collected and recycled, and
- for each of these sites, include a plan setting out the steps you will take to put the arrangements in place within 3 months of becoming a Signatory.
If you are submitting a Type B application, you will need to identify the specific sites where it will be feasible to collect all waste mercury-containing lamps for recycling. Signatory status applies to the sites specified in the application.
There are different types of sites that can be specified.
Some examples are:
- Where there is only one site involved, and it is a single building, the application could simply provide the address of that building.
- For a bigger concern, say a supermarket chain or a nationwide bank, the application needs to state which specific outlets or offices the application applies to.
- If a supermarket chain or nationwide bank has a policy in place and is confident that all waste mercury-containing lamps from all of its premises are recycled, then the application can contain a statement to that effect and does not need to specify each site or branch.
- Some organisations, eg government portfolios, may be responsible for several buildings in the one city or scattered across a state or nationwide. Arrangements may be in place to recycle the waste mercury-containing lamps generated by only some of these buildings and these should be nominated in the application.
Information about waste collection companies, including electrical contractors, that are available to service the sites under consideration can be found in the Yellow Pages or by searching the Internet. Over time, the FluoroCycle website will provide a valuable source of information about collectors and electrical contractors that are Signatories to the scheme.
Important note:
When Signatory status is awarded to a Commercial User, that status applies only to the sites that were specified in the application and accepted by the Administrator. It is important to keep this in mind when a business or organisation represents its Signatory status, eg through claims or statements about its involvement with FluoroCycle.
For example, a national business needs to avoid giving the impression that waste lamps from all of its offices or outlets are recycled if this is not the case. On the other hand, any size business or organisation that recycles all waste lamps from its entire operations can claim that it is a Signatory in its entirety.
For a Commercial User, the sites that are relevant to Signatory status are specified on:
- the certificate awarded on first joining the scheme, and
- the listing on the FluoroCycle website.
As part of the application, you need to provide a plan that sets out the steps being taken to put appropriate arrangements in place to recycle all of the mercury-containing lamps from each site specified. The content of the plan will vary from applicant to applicant and will depend on how advanced the planning is and what steps they have in mind.
If you already know what the arrangements will be, but have not yet put them in place, the application could include some or all of the details, eg the name, address and contact details of the waste collector to be engaged for each specified site.
On the other hand, you may be considering what options are available for collection services or you may want to conduct a tender process. The plan could provide information on what options you are considering or some detail about the tender process, eg the timeline for selecting a collection or relamping service.
It is important to remember that the Administrator will be looking for assurance that the arrangements will be in place within 3 months of Signatory status being awarded.
The Administrator may contact you to clarify any information provided in the application or plan.
If the Administrator is satisfied with the information, you can be awarded Signatory status on the basis that the arrangements for recycling, as set out in the plan in the application, will be in place within 3 months.
You should advise the Administrator if there are substantive changes to the plan provided in the application, particularly if the timeline changes.
Within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, as a Type B applicant, you are required to provide evidence that arrangements are in place to recycle all of the waste mercury-containing lamps from each site nominated in the application. The evidence to be provided is copies of relevant documentation, such as contracts or other forms of agreement, invoices, receipts, consignment notices.
If the documentation is provided within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, the Administrator will contact you if there are any questions about the documentation.
If the documentation is not provided within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, the Administrator will follow-up this up. If you have not put the arrangements in place, or has only partially achieved what was set out in the application, the Administrator may make reasonable inquiries about the reasons for this. If the Administrator is not satisfied with the response, revocation of Signatory status may be considered.
If, for some reason, it has not been possible to put these arrangements in place for all of the sites originally nominated, then the Signatory status will be adjusted to relate only to the sites where it has been possible to put the arrangements in place.
Type B applicants may not be recycling yet but want to get started
Arrange to recycle your waste lamps.
To find a recycler near you, Click Here.
Please review the commitments of a Commercial User here.
Commercial Users - Type B need to complete a Signatory Commitment
Download the Signatory Commitment document
NOTE: The most senior executive in each organisation is asked to sign the Signatory Commitment document.
The Type B application should include information about the arrangements to be implemented within 3 months of becoming a FluoroCycle Signatory to recycle all waste mercury-containing lamps from one or more sites. Evidence that those arrangements are in place should be forwarded to the Administrator within 6 months of becoming a Signatory.
Steps after the application is lodged
The Administrator may contact you to clarify any information provided in the application or plan.
If the Administrator is satisfied with the information, you can be awarded Signatory status on the basis that the arrangements for recycling, as set out in the plan in the application, will be in place within 3 months.
You should advise the Administrator if there are substantive changes to the plan provided in the application, particularly if the timeline changes.
Within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, as a Type B applicant, you are required to provide evidence that arrangements are in place to recycle all of the waste mercury-containing lamps from each site nominated in the application. The evidence to be provided is copies of relevant documentation, such as contracts or other forms of agreement, invoices, receipts, consignment notices.
If the documentation is provided within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, the Administrator will contact you if there are any questions about the documentation.
If the documentation is not provided within 6 months of becoming a Signatory, the Administrator will follow-up this up. If you have not put the arrangements in place, or has only partially achieved what was set out in the application, the Administrator may make reasonable inquiries about the reasons for this. If the Administrator is not satisfied with the response, revocation of Signatory status may be considered.
If, for some reason, it has not been possible to put these arrangements in place for all of the sites originally nominated, then the Signatory status will be adjusted to relate only to the sites where it has been possible to put the arrangements in place.
The terms ‘Type A’ and ‘Type B’ are only used to describe the two different sorts of applicant. Once the applications are successful, both types of applicants become Signatories as Commercial Users. The key difference is a Type B applicant is given 6 months to meet the Signatory commitments and provide documentation to the Administrator demonstrating that appropriate arrangements for recycling have been put in place.