{"id":13399,"date":"2026-08-03T10:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T08:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/disposal-instructions\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T10:25:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T08:25:14","slug":"disposal-instructions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/disposal-instructions\/","title":{"rendered":"Disposal Instructions"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Electrical and Electronic Equipment: Information for Households (Online)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) contains a wide range of requirements regarding the handling of electrical and electronic equipment. The most important ones are summarized here.<\/p>\n

1. Separate Collection of Waste Equipment<\/p>\n

Electrical and electronic equipment that has become waste is referred to as waste equipment. Owners of waste equipment must ensure that it is collected separately from unsorted municipal solid waste. In particular, waste equipment does not belong in household trash but must be disposed of through special collection and return systems.<\/p>\n

2. Batteries, Rechargeable Batteries, and Lamps<\/p>\n

Owners of waste equipment must, as a general rule, separate used batteries and rechargeable batteries that are not enclosed within the waste equipment, as well as lamps that can be removed from the waste equipment without damaging it, from the waste equipment before handing it over to a collection point. This does not apply if waste equipment is being sent for preparation for reuse with the involvement of a public waste management authority.<\/p>\n

3. Options for Returning Waste Equipment<\/p>\n

Owners of end-of-life equipment from private households can return it free of charge to collection points operated by public waste management authorities or to take-back points established by manufacturers or distributors in accordance with the ElektroG. To find a take-back point near you, visit:<\/p>\n

www.take-e-back.de<\/a><\/p>\n

Businesses with a sales area of at least 400 m\u00b2 for electrical and electronic equipment, as well as grocery stores with a total sales area of at least 800 m\u00b2 that offer and make available electrical and electronic equipment on the market several times a year or on a permanent basis, are subject to the take-back obligation. This also applies to sales conducted via means of distance communication if the storage and shipping areas for electrical and electronic equipment total at least 400 m\u00b2 or if the total storage and shipping areas total at least 800 m\u00b2. Distance sellers subject to the take-back obligation must generally ensure take-back by providing suitable return options within a reasonable distance from the respective end user.<\/p>\n

Distributors subject to the take-back obligation may accept the return of an old appliance free of charge, among other circumstances, when a new appliance of the same type that essentially performs the same functions is delivered to an end user. If a new appliance is delivered to a private household, the old appliance of the same type may also be handed over there for free pickup; this applies to sales made using means of distance communication for devices in Categories 1, 2, or 4 pursuant to Section 2(1) of the ElektroG, namely \u201cheat exchangers,\u201d \u201cdisplay devices,\u201d or \u201clarge appliances\u201d (the latter having at least one external dimension exceeding 50 centimeters). End users are asked about their intention to return the appliance when concluding a purchase contract. In addition, end users may return, free of charge, to the distributor\u2019s collection points\u2014regardless of whether a new appliance is purchased\u2014any old appliances whose external dimensions do not exceed 25 centimeters, limited to three old appliances per appliance type.<\/p>\n

4. Data Protection Notice<\/p>\n

Old devices often contain sensitive personal data. This applies in particular to information and telecommunications technology devices such as computers and smartphones. Please note, in your own interest, that each end user is personally responsible for deleting the data from the old devices to be disposed of.<\/p>\n

5. Meaning of the \u201ccrossed-out trash can\u201d symbol<\/p>\n

The crossed-out trash can symbol, which is commonly displayed on electrical and electronic devices, indicates that the device in question must be collected separately from unsorted municipal waste at the end of its useful life.<\/p>\n

6. Note on Waste Prevention<\/p>\n

According to the provisions of Directive 2008\/98\/EU on waste and its transposition into the legislation of the Member States of the European Union, waste prevention measures generally take precedence over waste management measures. In the case of electrical and electronic equipment, waste prevention measures include, in particular, extending the service life of such equipment by repairing defective units and selling functional used equipment rather than sending it for disposal. Further information is available in the federal government\u2019s waste prevention program, developed in collaboration with the states:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.bundesumweltministerium. de\/law\/directive-2008-98-ec-on-waste-and-repealing-certain-directives<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Electrical and Electronic Equipment: Information for Households (Online) The Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) contains a wide range of requirements regarding the handling of electrical and electronic equipment. The most important ones are summarized here. 1. Separate Collection of Waste Equipment Electrical and electronic equipment that has become waste is referred to as waste […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-13399","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13399\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.segula.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=13399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}