Disposing of electronic waste

Waste electrical and electronic equipment, also known as electronic waste, contains, on the one hand, potentially harmful materials that can pollute the environment. On the other hand, it consists of valuable materials that can be recovered as secondary raw materials. It is therefore important to dispose of waste equipment properly.

As a consumer, you may hand in electronic waste free of charge:

• at local collection points run by public waste management authorities,
• at local retailers, provided they sell electrical and electronic equipment in a sales area of at least 400 m² and you are purchasing a comparable item, or up to three small items of waste electrical and electronic equipment per type (no external dimension exceeding 25 cm), even without purchasing a new electrical appliance
• at food retailers, discount stores, chemists, furniture shops, DIY stores , etc. (with a total sales area of 800 m² or more), provided they offer electrical and electronic equipment on a permanent basis or several times a year and you are purchasing a comparable item, or up to three small items of waste electrical equipment per type (no external dimension exceeding 25 cm), even without purchasing a new item of electrical equipment.
• Retailers of electronic cigarettes or electronic tobacco heaters must take these back free of charge.
• These obligations also apply to the delivery of appliances and to sales via means of distance communication (for example, online retail). In such cases, the take-back must be carried out by means of a free collection service or by providing a return facility within a reasonable distance. For online retailers, the size requirement is determined by the storage and dispatch area.
• Online retailers and high-street retailers must specifically ask the buyer about their intention to return the product and provide information on the return of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
• Irrespective of the existing obligations, retailers may take back waste equipment voluntarily and free of charge. This applies, for example, to retailers whose sales area is^{less than} 400^m² or 800^m² , or to the voluntary take-back of larger waste equipment without the simultaneous handover of a comparable item.
• Manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment may also voluntarily set up and operate individual or collective take-back schemes for the return of such equipment free of charge.
• Operators of certified initial treatment facilities are also permitted to take back waste electrical and electronic equipment. Please enquire there to find out which types of waste electrical equipment can be accepted.
• A standardised collection point logo, ‘Electrical Equipment Take-back’, identifies the collection points.

Charities, associations or service providers may only collect and take back waste electrical and electronic equipment on behalf of public waste management authorities, manufacturers or distributors.

Important: Please remove all removable batteries and light bulbs that can be taken out of the waste electrical and electronic equipment without damaging it before returning it, and place them in the separate collection. When returning the items, please point out, if applicable, that the waste electrical and electronic equipment may still contain (further) batteries or lamps.