Information on electrical and electronic (waste) equipment

The following information is intended for private households that use electrical and/or electronic equipment. Please follow these important instructions in the interest of environmentally sound disposal of old appliances and your own safety.

1. Information on the disposal of electrical (old) appliances and on the meaning of the symbol according to Annex 3 to the ElektroG:

Owners of old appliances must dispose of them separately from unsorted municipal waste. WEEE may therefore not be disposed of as unsorted municipal waste and in particular does not belong in household waste. Instead, these old appliances must be collected separately and disposed of, for example, via local collection and return systems.

Owners of WEEE must also separate used batteries and accumulators that are not enclosed in the WEEE, as well as lamps that can be removed from the WEEE without destroying it, from the WEEE before handing it in at a collection point. The latter does not apply insofar as the WEEE is separated from other WEEE in accordance with Article 14 (4) sentence 4 or (5) sentences 2 and 3 within the framework of opting by the public waste management authorities for the purpose of preparing it for re-use.

By means of the symbol according to Annex 3 to the ElektroG, owners can identify WEEE that is to be collected separately from unsorted municipal waste at the end of its life. The symbol for the separate collection of electrical and electronic equipment represents a crossed-out wheeled bin and is designed as follows:

2. Information on the possibility for end-users to return WEEE:

End-users as owners of WEEE have the following return options:

Can I return my waste equipment to you?

Of course. Small appliances with an external length of up to 25 cm can be returned to us free of charge. Larger appliances can also be returned to us free of charge, provided you purchase a similar appliance from us.

I did not buy the appliance from you, can I still return it to you?

Of course you can. You can return all small appliances up to 25 cm to us free of charge, regardless of where you bought them.

Your shop is not near me. Where can I drop off my appliance?

You can easily find the nearest collection point at www.take-e-back.de.

I can't find a collection point in the immediate vicinity!?

Please let us know your (approximate) location. We will find a solution for you.

I don't want to tell you my location. How can I hand in my device now?

We would like to create a return option for you within a reasonable distance and need your location for this.

Can I send you my old appliance? Please provide me with a shipping label!

Possible damage, e.g. fires, during the transport of old appliances may be at your expense (liability). The Federal/State Waste Working Group (LAGA) also warns against this take-back procedure. Deutsche Umwelthilfe criticises the fact that the appliances have to be packed in a costly manner. Consider also the consequences for the environment due to packaging waste. Therefore, we have opted for a system of stationary collection points that is constantly evolving. Please let us know your (approximate) location. We will find a solution for you.

Why can't I drop off my equipment at your collection system everywhere?

The legislator requires that every online retailer with more than 400 square metres of electrical storage and shipping space (shelf space) must prove that it has its own collection network within reasonable distance of the end consumer, in addition to the collection points of the public waste disposal authorities. Thus, various online retailers have joined together to form different take-back networks. However, you can always hand in your old appliances at the collection points of the take-e-way (www.take-e-back.de) or at the public waste disposal authorities. We offer you a legally compliant and above all consumer-friendly take-back system. Wherever you cannot find a return facility within a reasonable distance, we will find an individual solution for you.

3. Note on data protection

Some of the end-of-life devices to be disposed of contain sensitive personal data (e.g. on a PC or smartphone) which must not fall into the hands of third parties.

We expressly point out that end users of old devices must take responsibility for the deletion of personal data on the old devices to be disposed of.