The following information is intended for private households that use electrical and/or electronic equipment. Please observe these important notes in the interest of environmentally sound disposal of waste equipment as well as your own safety.
1. Information on the disposal of electrical and electronic (waste) equipment and on the meaning of the symbol in accordance with Annex 3 to the ElektroG
Owners of waste equipment are required to collect it separately from unsorted municipal waste. Waste electrical and electronic equipment must therefore not be disposed of as unsorted municipal waste and, in particular, does not belong in household waste. Instead, this waste equipment must be collected separately and disposed of, for example via the local collection and return systems.
Before handing over waste equipment at a collection point, owners must also separate from it any waste batteries and rechargeable batteries that are not enclosed by the waste equipment, as well as any lamps that can be removed from the waste equipment without destroying them.
The latter does not apply where the waste equipment is separated from other waste equipment by the public-law waste management authorities within the framework of their option pursuant to § 14 Absatz 4 Satz 4 oder Absatz 5 Satz 2 und 3 ElektroG for the purpose of preparing it for reuse.
By means of the symbol in accordance with Annex 3 to the ElektroG, owners can identify waste equipment that must be collected separately from unsorted municipal waste at the end of its service life. The symbol for the separate collection of electrical and electronic equipment shows a crossed-out wheeled bin and looks as follows:
2. Free take-back of waste equipment by distributors
Distributors (any natural or legal person or partnership that offers or makes available on the market electrical or electronic equipment) with a sales area for electrical and electronic equipment of at least 400 square metres (or, in the case of distance selling using means of distance communication, with storage and dispatch areas for electrical and electronic equipment of at least 400 square metres), as well as distributors of foodstuffs with a total sales area of at least 800 square metres that offer and make available on the market electrical and electronic equipment several times per calendar year or on a permanent basis (or, in the case of distance selling using means of distance communication, with total storage and dispatch areas of at least 800 square metres), are obliged to take back waste electrical equipment free of charge from end users as follows:
a) Return/collection when purchasing a new appliance and delivery to a private household
Upon conclusion of a purchase contract for a new electrical or electronic appliance, the distributor is obliged to take back free of charge one item of waste equipment of the same type that essentially fulfils the same functions as the new appliance.
If the place of delivery is a private household, the take-back is carried out through free collection. For this purpose, when the new appliance is delivered, one item of waste equipment of the same type with essentially the same functions may be handed over to the delivering transport company.
If the new appliance is sold exclusively using means of distance communication (§ 312c Abs. 2 BGB), the following restrictions apply:
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The free collection of a waste appliance of the same type and function is carried out only if it is an appliance of category 1 (temperature exchange equipment), 2 (screens, monitors, and equipment containing screens with a surface area greater than 100 square centimetres) and/or 4 (large equipment where at least one of the external dimensions exceeds 50 centimetres).
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If, instead, it is a waste appliance of category 3, 5 and/or 6, no free collection is carried out and the following letter b) applies instead to the free return.
An overview of the appliance categories and the equipment covered by each can be found here: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/elektrog_2015/anlage_1.html
b) Return when purchasing a new appliance and drop-off elsewhere / return of small appliances
Upon conclusion of a purchase contract for a new electrical appliance that is not delivered to the private household, and in the case of the sale of a new appliance of categories 3, 5 and/or 6 exclusively using means of distance communication (§ 312c Abs. 2 BGB) with delivery to the private household, there is the option of returning free of charge to the distributor one item of waste equipment of the same type that essentially fulfils the same functions as the new appliance.
The same option also exists, irrespective of the purchase of a new electrical or electronic appliance, for waste equipment none of whose external dimensions exceeds 25 centimetres. In this case, the end user’s option to return equipment to the distributor is limited to 3 items of waste equipment per appliance type.
In the case of sales exclusively using means of distance communication (§ 312c Abs. 2 BGB), the return, under the conditions stated above, takes place
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of waste equipment of categories 3, 5 and/or 6
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of waste equipment none of whose external dimensions exceeds 25 centimetres,
through suitable return options within a reasonable distance of the respective end user.
Otherwise, the return takes place at the point of drop-off or in the immediate vicinity thereof.
Distributors must have set up suitable return options for this purpose.
3. Information on the options for returning waste equipment
Owners of waste equipment can hand it in via the return or collection options for waste equipment set up and made available by the public-law waste management authorities, so that the proper disposal of the waste equipment is ensured. Where applicable, it is also possible to hand in electrical and electronic equipment there for the purpose of reusing the equipment. You can obtain more detailed information about this from the relevant collection or take-back point.
4. Note on data protection
Waste equipment to be disposed of sometimes contains sensitive personal data (for example on a PC or a smartphone) that must not fall into the hands of third parties.
We expressly point out that end users of waste equipment are responsible for deleting personal data on the waste equipment to be disposed of.
5. Note on our WEEE registration number
We are registered with the Stiftung Elektro-Altgeräte Register, Nordostpark 72 in 90411 Nürnberg, as a manufacturer of electrical and/or electronic equipment under the following registration number (WEEE-Reg.-Nr. DE):
DE 94055120