Disposal of old electronic devices

Prerequisites

Before disposal, please note:

• Be sure to remove batteries and rechargeable batteries from old electrical and electronic devices that are not permanently installed in the device and dispose of them in battery collection.
• As the user, you are responsible for deleting personal data on the electronic devices to be handed over, e.g. on hard drives.

Night storage heaters contain dangerous pollutants:

• Disposal is only carried out by the Hamburg city cleaning department.
• Insulating materials (e.g. asbestos, mineral wool). Inhaled fine dust can cause cancer or asbestosis.
• Storage stones containing chromium: released toxic chromates endanger the ground water

Night storage heaters must therefore be properly dismantled and properly packed in order to be able to be handed over to the Hamburg city cleaning department free of charge. Please provide information in advance at: Where to put the e-waste? | City cleaning Hamburg

Documents required

No documents are required.

Please note

Please only hand over your old electrical equipment to the authorized employees at the recycling centers.

Deadlines

You can find the opening hours of the recycling centers and the dates of the mobile collection of hazardous waste on the Hamburg City Cleaning website (see the "Links" section).

Procedure

If you have any questions about the procedure, please contact the authorities for the environment, climate, energy and agriculture or the Hamburg city cleaning department.

Processing time

Please note the opening hours of the recycling centers.

Fees

• There are no costs for the disposal of your old electronic devices (product responsibility).


• If you want to use the city cleaning service, you pay the travel fee of 25 euros.

Legal remedies

No

Legal basis

Law on the placing on the market, return and environmentally friendly disposal of electrical and electronic equipment (Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act - ElektroG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/elektrog_2015/

According to the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG), old electrical and electronic equipment (old electrical equipment) must not be disposed of with normal household waste. Every consumer is therefore legally obliged to hand in old electrical equipment to an approved collection or return point. Old electronic devices are accepted there free of charge. As a result, they are recycled in an environmentally friendly and resource-saving manner.
For the professional and free disposal of your old electronic devices, please use the following methods in Hamburg:
Collection from the Hamburg city cleaning department

• the recycling centers (for almost all types of electronic devices)
• the special depot containers (only for small devices without batteries and accumulators)
• the mobile collection of problematic substances (only for small devices)
• the bulky waste disposal
• electrician

Take-back in electronics retailers: Small old electrical appliances (up to 25 cm edge length) from private households can also be returned to electronics retailers free of charge. This applies to shops with a sales area of 400 square meters or more. When buying a new larger electrical or electronic device, retailers are also obliged to take back the corresponding old device free of charge. The electrical trade also provides information about other nearby collection points.

Take-back in food retail: Since July 1, 2022, supermarkets, discounters and drugstores have been obliged to take back small electrical appliances (up to 25 cm edge length) free of charge. This applies to shops with a total sales area of at least 800 square meters that offer electrical appliances for sale several times a year or permanently. The regular sale of lamps is already sufficient. The return is not linked to a new purchase. There is a limit of three devices per return. Larger electrical or electronic devices can only be returned free of charge if a comparable product is purchased new.

Take-back in online retail: When selling a new e-device, online retailers are obliged to collect and dispose of old category 1 (heat exchangers such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners), 2 (screens such as televisions, laptops, tablets) and 4 (large appliances) free of charge with an edge length of more than 50 cm such as washing machines, dishwashers, power tools).


The disposal is already financed by you when you buy the product, so that the disposal must then be free of charge for you (product responsibility).