Batteries

Any business that sells portable batteries (e.g. single-cell batteries of type AA or AAA, rechargeable batteries, accumulators) must take back used portable batteries free of charge. The obligation to take back applies regardless of the size of the company and regardless of the purchase of a battery. Collection boxes are provided for used batteries to be thrown into.

Used vehicle batteries are collected separately from the portable batteries. Vendors of this kind of battery (e.g. car workshops, car spare parts merchants) must take them back free of charge regardless of a new purchase.

Portable batteries and car batteries can be also returned at municipal collection centres (e.g. refuse collection centres, waste disposal sites, recycling centres). As with used electrical appliances, the municipalities are compensated for their services by the collection and recycling systems.

Collection and recycling systems that require approval from the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism take on the coordinated collection or all used portable and vehicle batteries from trade and from the municipalities.

Furthermore, there are also legal provisions regulating certain labelling requirements, recycling efficiencies for various battery types, manufacturer definitions and system participation obligations, storage and treatment.

Further links

• Batteries (→ BMK)^{German text}

Legal basis

• Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz (AWG)
• Abfallbehandlungspflichtenverordnung
• Batterienverordnung