You will soon get rid of your old cell phone very easily

Do you want to get rid of your old or broken smartphone? The electric toothbrush has given up, but you don’t know what to do with it? Discounters such as Aldi and Lidl, but also other supermarkets, will have to remove their electronic waste in 2022. But there are exceptions.

Practically every household has this one box or drawer full of old chargers, smartphones, and many of them are sure to have one or the other Nokia bones with them or a flip phone from before Samsung’s Flip range. And the old devices are simply not getting any less. But how best to get rid of it?

At Lidl, Aldi, Rewe: handing in old smartphones is possible from July 2022

Electrical devices – even small ones such as smartphones, electric razors or the cordless toothbrush – belong in the hazardous waste so that they can be recycled. But nobody wants to go to the recycling center for every old small part. The new Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG) provides a remedy. It stipulates that since January 1st, 2022 too Supermarkets and discounters have to take back small electrical appliances (Source: Consumer advice center NRW).

Before you make your way to the Aldi around the corner, there are a few things to consider: On the one hand, the law came into effect on January 1st, but a transition period is granted there. Until July 1, 2022 the supermarkets have time to set up a collection point.

From then on, you will have to take small electrical devices back for recycling – even if you didn’t buy a smartphone or the like there. This is considered a small device everything under an edge length of 25 cm, Larger devices such as televisions only have to be accepted if the store offers them regularly and you buy a new device at the same time. Consumers who only want to have their smartphone disposed of at the supermarket do not have to buy a new one.

According to our video, you are well equipped to dispose of your electrical devices:

Large supermarkets have to accept electrical appliances

But not every shop is obliged to accept electronic waste. The decisive factor is the size: the obligation applies to discounters and supermarkets with a sales area of ​​more than 800 square meters. If you want to be on the safe side, you can find out beforehand from the dealer of your choice whether electrical devices will be accepted and when the service will be available. If you buy from smaller online retailers, they will also have to offer you old devices from July 1st.