Recycling

(a) Waste electrical and electronic equipment other than from private households (B2B)

Robert Bosch GmbH, Automotive Aftermarket Division (hereinafter “Bosch”), has concluded an agreement with EARN Elektroaltgeräte Service GmbH (hereinafter “EARN”). EARN has provided Bosch with a link for end users to register the return or return delivery of their WEEE.

End users wishing to correctly dispose of electrical or electronic appliances purchased from Bosch should inform EARN by filling in an online form that can be accessed via the following link.

https://b2btool.earn-service.com/boschautomotive-shipment/parcelselect

This then creates a document that contains the address data for the responsible primary treatment facility as well as the end user’s data and other information necessary for processing, packaging and labelling.

End users can bring their waste electrical and electronic equipment to the primary treatment facility themselves, hire a haulage company to do so or send the WEEE to the primary treatment facility specified in the document via a parcel service. For the purpose of identifying the returned WEEE, the document must be affixed in a clearly visible position on the consignment containing the WEEE.

End users will also receive this information and the document separately by email after sending the online form.

b) Waste electrical and electronic equipment from private households (B2C)

Waste electrical and electronic equipment does not belong in household waste, but should be handed in at special collection and return systems. The WEEE can be handed in free of charge at the collection points provided by the public waste disposal authorities.

Used batteries and accumulators that are not enclosed in the waste electrical and electronic equipment, as well as lamps that can be removed from the WEEE without being destroyed, should be separated from the WEEE without being destroyed before being handed in at a collection point.

In addition, retailers selling electrical and electronic equipment are obliged to take back WEEE free of charge in the following cases: retailers who provide at least 400 square meters in sales area for electrical and electronic equipment as well as food retailers with a total sales area of at least 800 square meters, and who offer and supply the market with electrical or electronic appliances several times in a calendar year or on a permanent basis, are obliged:

1. when supplying new electrical and electronic equipment to end users, to take back the end users’ old appliances free of charge at the place of supply or in the immediate vicinity, provided that the WEEE is of the same type and performs substantially the same functions as the new appliances. Old appliances can also be collected at private households provided that this occurs on delivery of the new appliance; in this case the WEEE is collected free of charge for end users.
2. at the request of end users, to take back free of charge WEEE that does not exceed 25 centimeters in any external dimension, in the retail store or immediate vicinity. The return of old appliances may not be linked to the purchase of new electrical and electronic equipment and is limited to three WEEEs per equipment type.

This also applies to remote retail if the storage and dispatch areas for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) amount to at least 400 m², or the total storage and dispatch areas amount to at least 800 m², whereby free collection shall be limited to EEE in categories 1 (heat transmitters), 2 (visual display units) and 4 (large appliances with at least one external dimension exceeding 50 centimeters). For all other electrical and electronic equipment, retailers shall ensure appropriate return facilities within reasonable distance of the respective end users.

End users are responsible for erasing any personal data stored on the old equipment being disposed of.