Additional requirements for electrical products: Environmental protection, recycling and disposal
In addition to technical safety of electrical equipment, legislators also have environmental aspects in mindin mindelectrical equipment. The obligations for manufacturers, importers and consumers are regulated in the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (Elektro- und Elektronikgerätegesetz, ElektroG). We have summarised This page summarizes here for you important facts for you.
The Electrical and Electronic Equipment ActElektroG passed in 2015 regulates the placing on the market, the taking back and recycling as well as the environmentally acceptable disposal of electrical and electronic equipment.
The law must guarantee law is intended to ensure:
- that electrical and electronic equipment is designed to be less polluting;
- that electrical waste and electronic waste are avoided as much as possible, or reduced by reuse and recycling;
- that non-recyclable, residual waste is disposed of in an environmentally compatible manner.
The law is applied to the following groups of electrical and electronic devices for the operating voltages up to 1000 V AC and 1500 V DC (§ 2 (1), Annex I):
| Category | Electrical and electronic devices | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Large household appliances | Refrigerators, freezers, electric hotplates, air conditioners |
| 2 | Small household appliances | Vacuum cleaners, toasters, fryers, electric knives |
| 3 | IT- and telecommunication devices | Mainframes, computers, laptops, printers, photocopiers |
| 4 | Devices of entertainment electronics | Radio devices, TV sets, video cameras, musical instruments |
| 5 | Lighting fixtures | rod-shaped fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps |
| 6 | Electrical and electronic tools (except large stationary industrial tools) | Drilling machines, sewing machines, welding and soldering tools |
| 7 | Toys as well as sports and recreational equipment | Electric railways or slot car tracks, video games, money-playing machines |
| 8 | Medical equipment (except for all implanted and infected products) | Dialysis machines, respirators, analysers, freezers |
| 9 | Monitoring and control instruments | Smoke detectors, heating controllers, thermostats |
| 10 | Automatic dispensers | Automatic hot drink dispensers, cash machines, vending machines for solid products |
This does not include equipment which "serves the preservation of the essential security interests of the Federal Republic of Germany or is specifically intended for military purposes".
Obligations for manufacturers and importers
The manufacturers, importers and resellers are obliged to construct the devices in such a way that disassembly, recycling and reuse are facilitated (§ 4 - product conception). They must also provide the recovery facilities with information on the exploitation possibilities for each new type of device placed on the market.
It is also required that the products placed on the market for the first time after 13 August 2005 must be permanently marked so that the manufacturer can be clearly identified. It must also be clear that the device was placed on the market after 13 August 2005. In addition, if the equipment can be used in private households, it must be marked with the symbol "not to be disposed of in the garbage bin" (a crossed-out garbage bin).
Manufacturers and/or importers must (§ 6):
- be registered. When registering, it must be ensured that the disposal of equipment from private households is financially secured in case of insolvency;
- finance and take care of the disposal of the devices which were placed on the market after 13 August 2005. The owner is responsible for the devices already on the market before 13 August 2005. Deviating agreements are possible in both cases.
ElektroG implements European directives
The "Law on the placing on the market, the withdrawal and the environmentally acceptable disposal of electrical and electronic devices" (Electrical and Electronical Equipment Act), implements two European directives into German law:
- the EU Directive 2002/96/EC (WEEE) on waste electrical and electronic equipment,
- and the EU Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS) on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
The directives 2002/96/EC and 2002/95/EC have been replaced by the directives 2012/19/EU (WEEE) and 2011/65/EC (RoHS) and at the same time, the ElektroG was amended. Based on future regulatory scope, the regulations of the RoHS directive were implemented in a separate regulation, the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Substance Regulation (ElektroStoffV). The corresponding regulations in the ElektroG were abolished.