Appetite for recycling:
Can I dispose of electrical and electronic equipment in a grocery store?

Disposing of a broken hairdryer or a defective rice stove at the convenience store around the corner - how convenient is that! But is that even allowed? The answer is clear: Yes, you can. Provided, of course, that the grocery store carries type-similar products in its assortment.

So it's not a good idea to dispose of your broken toaster in the small village bakery next door, just because they have such fine toast. And the cheese store down the street won't accept your broken raclette oven either - unless they sell some themselves.

So the crucial point is whether the grocery store sells individual electrical and electronic appliances in addition to food and beverages. If this is the case, you have the right to dispose of comparable products in the store free of charge - regardless of whether the store is a small corner store or a large branch of a well known discounter.
If, for example, electric toothbrushes are sold in the store, you can hand in your broken toothbrush there. It doesn't matter whether you actually bought it there. The brand doesn't matter either. It simply has to be a product of a similar type. The store does not have to accept the defective vacuum cleaner if it is not sold there.

This is a significant difference from the official Sens collection points, which generally take back all electrical and electronic equipment. To be on the safe side, it is worth taking a look at our Recycling Map, where all collection points publish which devices are accepted.

So far, so clear!
At least you would think so. Because even though we all know that we can return broken electrical and electronic equipment to a store, many of us are still reluctant to use this option. After all, you don't want to cause the store any extra work and you're afraid of being a burden on the staff. But these worries are absolutely unfounded.

As partners of Sens, grocery stores - and of course all other stores that sell electrical and electronic equipment - are part of a larger and successful take back system and benefit accordingly from well-established disposal processes. For example, Sens collects the returned appliances from the stores and transports them to the recycling companies - without any additional effort for the Sens partners. In addition, the stores are financially compensated for the collected appliances. The greater the total weight of the returned appliances, the more money there is.

It's worth it!
So the next time you want to conveniently dispose of a broken electrical or electronic device at a grocery store, do it without a guilty conscience. Because it's worth it for everyone. For you, for the store and especially for our environment.