Disposal and return instructions

Electrical and electronic equipment contains pollutants that could possibly endanger health and our environment, and also valuable resources that can be recycled with your cooperation. Therefore, WEEE must be collected separately from unsorted municipal waste at the end of its life and must not be disposed of with normal household waste. This is indicated by the symbol of a crossed-out trash can shown below, which is used to mark electrical appliances.

Your obligation to return old electrical equipment

According to the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG), every consumer is legally obligated to dispose of old electrical equipment, including lights, illuminants and fans (with the exception of incandescent lamps) in a professional and environmentally friendly manner and to hand them in at an authorized collection or return point. Waste electrical equipment is accepted there free of charge and recycled in an environmentally friendly and resource-saving manner. The collection and return points give the old equipment to certified waste management companies, which first check whether the equipment can be refurbished and reused. If reuse is not possible, the pollutants are removed from the equipment and valuable resources are recycled.

In particular, do not dispose of in household waste:

  • Lamps and lights
  • Compact fluorescent lamps with or without ballast (energy-saving lamps)
  • Fluorescent lamps (fluorescent tubes)
  • Discharge lamps (including metal halide lamps)
  • LED lamps
  • Batteries and accumulators

Easily removable light sources must be removed and disposed of separately before handing in the old device. The same applies to easily removable used batteries and used rechargeable batteries as well as those that are not enclosed by the WEEE.

Incandescent bulbs and halogen lamps may be disposed of in household waste. If you are not sure which type of lamp it is, please return it to a suitable collection point.

Why do old electrical appliances have to be handed in at a collection point?

Electrical appliances contain valuable resources and also pollutants. The collection points hand over the old equipment to certified waste management companies, which first check whether it is possible to refurbish and reuse the equipment. Ideally, old products can be refurbished. If reuse is not possible, the old equipment is treated accordingly. Pollutants are removed from the equipment and valuable resources are sent for recycling. This conserves the environment and dwindling resources.

Correct handling of broken energy saving lamps

Energy-saving lamps contain small amounts of mercury, but these are well below the legal limits, so they do not pose a health hazard. Nevertheless, some precautions should be taken into account in case an energy-saving lamp breaks:

  • Carefully pick up the fragments with a dampened cloth.
  • Pack them airtight in a plastic bag or canning jar.
  • Take them to the pollutant collection point.
  • Avoid skin contact and then ventilate the room for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Do not use a vacuum cleaner to pick up the fragments.

Handling personal data when disposing of old equipment

Please note that each consumer is responsible for deleting personal data from the old equipment to be disposed of.

Reporting and information requirements for manufacturers: https://www.stiftung-ear.de/de/service/statistische-daten/jahres-statistik-mitteilung