E-waste and disposal

In short: Electrical and electronic devices must not go into household waste. They contain valuable raw materials and pollutants and must be collected separately.

In more detail: The German Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) regulates take-back and disposal. The crossed-out wheelie bin symbol shows the duty. Retailers with larger sales areas must take back old devices, small devices often without a new purchase. Municipal collection points accept them free of charge.

In Depth

• Batteries and accumulators: Hand in separately (Battery Act), never in household waste. Damaged lithium batteries can catch fire.
• Data: Wipe or destroy storage before handing in (encryption, reset).
• Passing on: Donate, sell or have working devices repaired.
• Raw materials: gold, copper, cobalt, rare earths can be recovered.
• Quantities: Worldwide over 60 million tonnes of e-waste arise each year; less than a quarter is documented as recycled.

See also: Right to repair, Using lithium-ion batteries properly