Battery Act
Do not dispose of batteries and rechargeable batteries with household waste
Used batteries contain valuable raw materials such as zinc, iron, and nickel, which can be recovered through recycling processes and then reused. At the same time, they also contain hazardous substances and heavy metals that must never be released into the environment.
The «crossed-out wheelie bin» on batteries shows that used batteries must be collected separately. They do not belong in the household waste. We would like to point out that you are legally obliged to return old batteries.
If the symbols Cd, Hg or Pb are found under the crossed-out wheeled bin on the battery, this is an indication that the battery either contains more than 0.002 % by mass of cadmium, more than 0.0005 % by mass of mercury or more than 0.004 % by mass of lead. These are toxic heavy metals that not only pose significant risks to the environment, but also to human health.
So do not throw your old batteries in the garbage can, but hand them in free of charge at an official collection point. These are, for example, the municipal recycling centres, or directly return them to custo med or your specialist dealer. In order to avoid short circuits, the battery poles of lithium batteries should also be insulated with adhesive strips before delivery.
