Battery law
Battery law – BattG
The German Battery Act (BattG) regulates the placing on the market, take-back, and environmentally sound disposal of batteries and rechargeable batteries.
What consumers should know
Batteries and rechargeable batteries must not be disposed of with residual household waste. Consumers are legally obliged to return used batteries and rechargeable batteries. Waste batteries may contain pollutants that can harm the environment or human health if disposed of improperly. At the same time, batteries also contain valuable raw materials such as iron, zinc, manganese, cobalt, nickel, graphite, copper, aluminum, and lithium that can be reused.
Collecting and disposing
Old and defective batteries and rechargeable batteries can be returned free of charge anywhere batteries are sold, for example in supermarkets, drugstores, electronics retailers, or DIY stores. Industrial batteries, such as those used in e-bikes, e-scooters, or photovoltaic systems, can also be returned to the respective dealers free of charge. Municipal recycling centers also accept old batteries and rechargeable batteries.
Important: For safety reasons, lithium batteries must be secured before disposal, for example by covering the poles with tape. Batteries contained in electrical devices must be disposed of separately from those devices.
Sorting by system
In sorting facilities, collected batteries are separated according to their electrochemical systems. This is necessary because different recycling methods are used depending on battery type and material composition. Proper sorting usually combines several process steps: manual pre-sorting followed by automatic separation by size and electrochemical system.
One of the methods used for this purpose is X-ray sorting. Eckstein GmbH has registered its batteries and rechargeable batteries with the take-back system Stiftung GRS Batterien.
Customer obligations
The crossed-out wheeled bin symbol indicates that disposal via household waste is prohibited. If batteries or rechargeable batteries contain relevant heavy metal content, they are also marked with the corresponding chemical symbol.
Cd = cadmium, Hg = mercury, Pb = lead.
Consumers are legally obliged to return all used batteries and rechargeable batteries.
Proper handling of lithium batteries
Even if a lithium battery appears discharged at first glance, it may still contain enough energy to pose risks if handled improperly, including:
- risk of short circuit
- heat generation
- fire
- release of substances hazardous to health and the environment
Signs of a damaged rechargeable battery
Typical indicators of a damaged battery or rechargeable battery include:
- damaged or heavily deformed housing
- corrosion marks on metal parts
- melt marks on the plastic housing
- the battery heating up while switched off
- leaking battery fluid
- cells identified as defective by the battery management system (BMS)
Further information is available at https://www.grs-batterien.de/batterien-und-recycling/.
