Electronic waste or e-waste (Elektroschrott or E-Müll) is one of those not-so-sexy aspects of modern life. 

We collect a wide assortment of personal electronics in our day to day lives – from smartphones to hair dryers to toaster ovens – and eventually they break or go unused, and end up hidden away in a dark corner in our closets or cellars.

According to Germany’s statistical office (Destatis), German residents produce more e-waste per capita than the European average – 12.5 kilograms per person per year in Germany as opposed to 10.5 kilograms across Europe.

What this amounts to practically is you having three dead phones and a nest of old chargers in the back of an old desk drawer, or perhaps an old mini-fridge to dispose of in your cellar.

Learning to sort and dispose of your waste properly in Germany is a notoriously tricky task for many newcomers, and putting electronics in the regular trash or recycling bins is illegal in Germany. Therefore you may find yourself with an armful of dead gadgets asking, “How do I get rid of these?”

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED – The complete guide to recycling in Germany

Fortunately, disposing of most small household electronics in Germany can be surprisingly easy. 

Where can I dispose of my old smartphone?

In most cases, the easiest place to dispose of personal electronics is your nearest supermarket.

Since July 2022 supermarkets and discount retailers with a store size of 800 square metres or more are required to collect small electrical appliances free of charge. 

This generally applies to Germany’s main supermarket chains like Rewe, Penny, Lidl and Aldi. It also applies to electronics stores like MediaMarkt and Saturn.

These stores are required to accept electronics with an edge length up to 25 centimetres, such as; razors, electric toothbrushes, chargers, small toasters or smartphones. 

Note that these stores are only be required to accept up to three items at a time, so if you have a stockpile of electronics to dispose of, you may have to break them up in separate trips.

Smaller items like dead batteries or lightbulbs can often be dropped off at these locations as well. Just ask the staff where they are gathered.

If your local market is smaller than 800 square metres, you may need to try elsewhere. 

Additionally, there have been reports of markets not fulfilling their collection requirements.

For example, the Cologne Regional Court fined an Aldi Nord store in North Rhine-Westphalia after it failed to take three electronic items from a customer who had tried to drop them off.

The German environmental non-profit Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) had tested electronics drop-offs at Aldi and other retailer locations and found some deficiencies. 

In this case, Aldi suggested that the employee involved had no knowledge of the regulation and was sentenced to pay a meagre fine of €386.20. But in more severe cases stores could theoretically face fines up to €250,000 for failing to fulfil their collection duties.

What about bulkier items?

Supermarkets and electronics retailers are not responsible for collecting bulkier items.

An exception is made when you are buying a new comparable appliance to replace an old one.

For example, if you bring your old TV monitor to MediaMarkt the store would be required to take it from you when you purchase a new one.

Alternatively, bigger electronics, or larger loads of items can be disposed of at your local Recyclinghof or Wertstoffhof.

You can also search for your closest registered drop-off location for specific items on this e-scrap return finder. 

Or, for more information about trading-in or reselling old electronics, check-out this explainer.

Why you shouldn’t throw them away

It’s important to dispose of e-waste properly because of its unique environmental impacts.

“If electronic waste is disposed of incorrectly, valuable raw materials are lost and the heavy metals, flame retardants and plasticizers it contains endanger the environment,” explained DUH’s Federal Managing Director in a published statement.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED – Why and how to start a zero-waste lifestyle in Germany

In an effort to reduce e-waste, the EU adopted the so-called “right to repair” directive earlier this year, which will require electronics manufacturers to offer reasonably priced repair services and therefore hopefully reduce consumers’ need to buy new electronics.

In the meantime, you can drop off your smaller electronics at the grocery store.