Information on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
The following information is intended for private households that use electrical and/or electronic equipment. Please observe these important instructions to ensure the environmentally sound disposal of waste equipment and for your own safety.
1. Information on the disposal of waste electrical equipment and the meaning of the symbol specified in Annex 3 of the ElektroG
Owners of waste equipment must ensure that it is collected 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 trash. Instead, this waste equipment must be collected separately and disposed of, for example, through local collection and return systems.
Owners of waste equipment must also separate used batteries and accumulators that are not enclosed within the waste equipment, as well as lamps that can be removed from the waste equipment without damaging it, before handing it over to a collection point. The latter does not apply if the waste electrical and electronic equipment is separated from other waste electrical and electronic equipment pursuant to Section 14(4), sentence 4, or Section 14(5), sentences 2 and 3, of the ElektroG, as part of the option exercised by public waste management authorities for the purpose of preparing it for reuse.
The symbol in Annex 3 to the ElektroG allows owners to identify waste electrical and electronic equipment that must be collected separately from unsorted municipal solid waste at the end of its useful life. The symbol for the separate collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment depicts a crossed-out wheeled trash can and is designed as follows:
2. Information on Return Options for End Users
End users who own waste equipment have the following return options:
Can I return my end-of-life device to you?
Of course. You can return small appliances with an external length of up to 25 cm to us free of charge. You can also return larger appliances to us free of charge, provided you purchase a similar appliance from us.
I didn’t buy the appliance from you. Can I still drop it off at your store?
Of course. You can drop off any small appliances up to 25 cm at our store free of charge, regardless of where you purchased them.
Your store isn’t 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’ll find a solution for you.
I don’t want to share my location with you. How can I drop off my appliance now?
In order to offer you a drop-off option within a reasonable distance, we need your approximate location.
Can I send you my old device? Please provide me with a shipping label.
You may be held liable for any damage, such as fires, that occurs during the transport of old devices. The Federal/State Working Group on Waste (LAGA) also warns against this return method. The German Environmental Aid (DUH) also criticizes the high packaging costs and the resulting environmental impact. That is why we have opted for a system of stationary collection points, which is continuously being further developed. Please let us know your approximate location. We will find a solution for you.
Why can’t I drop off my devices at any location through your collection system?
The law requires that every online retailer with more than 400 m² of storage and shipping space for electrical goods must demonstrate that it has its own take-back network within a reasonable distance from the end consumer, in addition to the collection points operated by public waste management authorities. For this reason, various online retailers have joined different take-back networks. Regardless of this, you can drop off your old devices at any time at take-e-back collection points (www.take-e-back.de) or at public waste management authorities. We offer you a legally compliant and consumer-friendly take-back system. If there is no drop-off option within a reasonable distance, we will provide a customized solution.
3. Note on Data Protection
Some end-of-life devices intended for disposal may contain sensitive personal data (for example, on PCs or smartphones) that must not fall into the hands of third parties.
We expressly point out that end users of old devices are personally responsible for completely deleting any personal data from the devices to be disposed of.