Information on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment— Germany Only
The following information applies only to the return and disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment within Germany.
The return labels, return points and collection options described below are intended exclusively for returns from within Germany. Please do not send waste electrical or electronic equipment from outside Germany to a German return point or to us unless this has been expressly confirmed by us in advance and all applicable waste shipment regulations are complied with.
For returns from other countries, the applicable national WEEE regulations and local collection or take-back systems must be used.
1. Information on the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment and on the meaning of the symbol pursuant to Annex 3 of the German Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (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, must not be placed in household waste. Instead, such waste equipment must be collected separately and disposed of, for example, via local collection and return systems.
Owners of waste equipment must also separate used batteries and rechargeable batteries that are not enclosed by the waste equipment, as well as lamps that can be removed from the waste equipment without being destroyed, before handing the equipment over to a collection point.
The latter does not apply where, pursuant to Section 14 paragraph 4 sentence 4 or paragraph 5 sentences 2 and 3 ElektroG, the waste equipment is separated from other waste equipment by public waste management authorities as part of the opt-in process for the purpose of preparing it for reuse.
Using the symbol pursuant to Annex 3 of the ElektroG, owners can identify waste equipment that must be collected separately from unsorted municipal waste at the end of its service life. The symbol for the separate collection of electrical and electronic equipment consists of a crossed-out wheeled waste bin and is designed as follows:
2. Free take-back of waste equipment by distributors
Distributors — any natural or legal person or partnership that offers or makes available electrical or electronic equipment on the market — are obliged to take back waste electrical equipment from end users free of charge as follows:
a) Return/collection when purchasing a new device and delivery to a private household
When a purchase contract is concluded for a new electrical or electronic device, the distributor is obliged to take back, free of charge, a waste device of the same type that essentially performs the same functions as the new device.
If the place of delivery is a private household, the take-back is carried out by free collection. For this purpose, a waste device of the same type and with essentially the same functions may be handed over to the delivering transport company upon delivery of the new device.
If the new device is distributed exclusively by means of distance communication within the meaning of Section 312c paragraph 2 of the German Civil Code (BGB), the following restriction applies:
Free collection of a waste device of the same type and function is only provided if the device belongs to category 1 — heat exchangers — category 2 — screens, monitors and devices containing screens with a surface area of more than 100 square centimetres — and/or category 4 — large equipment with at least one external dimension of more than 50 centimetres.
If, instead, the waste device belongs to category 3, 5 and/or 6, free collection does not take place. In that case, the free return option described under letter b) below applies.
An overview of the equipment categories and the devices covered in each case can be found here:
https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/elektrog_2015/anlage_1.html
b) Return when purchasing a new device and handing it in elsewhere / return of small devices
When a purchase contract is concluded for a new electrical device that is not delivered to a private household, and when a new device in categories 3, 5 and/or 6 is distributed exclusively by means of distance communication within the meaning of Section 312c paragraph 2 BGB and delivered to a private household, there is the option to return, free of charge, a waste device of the same type that essentially performs the same functions as the new device to the distributor.
The same option also exists independently of the purchase of a new electrical or electronic device for waste equipment that is not larger than 25 centimetres in any external dimension. In this case, the end user’s return option to the distributor is limited to three waste devices per device type.
Where distribution takes place exclusively by means of distance communication within the meaning of Section 312c paragraph 2 BGB, and subject to the conditions stated above, the return of
waste equipment in categories 3, 5 and/or 6, and
waste equipment that is not larger than 25 centimetres in any external dimension,
is carried out through suitable return options within a reasonable distance of the respective end user.
Otherwise, the return takes place at the place of handover or in its immediate vicinity.
3. Information on the options for returning waste equipment
The collection of waste electrical equipment takes place at the return points specified by ZENTEK. The waste electrical equipment to be shipped must be packaged by you at your own expense and handed in at the nearest ZENTEK return point. The acceptance criteria for parcels are based on the specifications of the parcel service provider. The parcel service provider’s General Terms and Conditions must be accepted by the sender before downloading the return label. The return must be made by you, the final owner, as a parcel. The maximum parcel size is 120 x 60 x 60 cm and the weight per parcel must not exceed 31.5 kg. If the weight or dimensions are exceeded, ZENTEK may prepare an individual offer. Individual collections of items larger than 120 x 60 x 60 cm and/or heavier than 31.5 kg are available on request within 5–10 working days, subject to a charge, from you as the private final owner, Monday to Friday. ZENTEK reserves the right to charge the client, upon proof, for any incorrect filling caused by you, such as materials that are not part of the contractual scope, for example special waste or hazardous waste.
Via hyperlinks to
edge length < 25 cm, freely accessible link for the final owner (0:1), and
edge length > 25 cm, integrated into your ordering process (1:1),
you will be taken to the ZENTEK landing page. There, by entering your postcode and the waste device to be shipped, you can find the nearest return point. ZENTEK provides the final owner with a return label for shipping the waste equipment.
Hyperlinks for the return label with further information:
0:1 https://www.retouren-loesung.de/retoure/3vh87
1:1 https://www.retouren-loesung.de/retoure/4t7kr
An online directory of collection and return points can be displayed via the following link:
https://www.ear-system.de/ear-verzeichnis/sammel-und-ruecknahmestellen
4. Data protection notice
Some waste equipment to be disposed of may contain sensitive personal data, for example on a PC or smartphone, which must not fall into the hands of third parties. We expressly point out that end users of waste equipment are responsible for ensuring that personal data on the waste equipment to be disposed of is deleted.
5. Notice regarding our WEEE registration number
We are registered with the Stiftung Elektro-Altgeräte Register, Nordostpark 72, 90411 Nuremberg, Germany, as a manufacturer of electrical and/or electronic equipment under the following registration number (WEEE Reg. No. DE): “DE 30519521”
For Spain, the RII-AEE (WEEE) number is: 7525
For France, the IDU (WEEE) number is: FR037653_05Y5X9
For France, the registration number for toys is: FR279762_12HMPU
For Great Britain, the EEE number is: WEE/AU5446VA
For Italy, the registration number is: IT21040P00006955