How to dispose of old torches, alarm clocks and the like in an environmentally friendly manner and free of charge
Did you know that small electrical or electronic appliances such as torches, alarm clocks and smartwatches should not be thrown away? Instead, you can return them to the nearest SENS collection point or to any retailer that sells similar appliances – and all of this is possible at no charge. We’ll show you how easy eRecycling is.
Hairdryers, hoovers, electric toothbrushes, electric razors, blenders, toasters, drills – our households are teeming with electrical and electronic appliances, not to mention the cables and plugs piling up in drawers and boxes. Even the heart rate monitor on your wrist is a small electronic appliance, and that’s why it should be recycled like all other electronic appliances – because even small appliances contain valuable metals that can be recycled. In addition, appliances like these often contain batteries or rechargeable batteries that can ignite under high pressure (such as during waste collection or removal) and cause fires, which can also release toxic substances into the environment. These are filtered out during recycling and disposed of safely and in an environmentally friendly manner.
So remember, all electrical or electronic appliances, no matter how small, should be recycled.
This is how easy eRecycling is in Switzerland
In Switzerland, eRecycling – the disposal of old electrical or electronic appliances – is very easy. Since we already pay an advance recycling contribution (ARC) when we purchase electrical or electronic appliances, we can return all faulty appliances or those that we can no longer pass on or sell free of charge to sales outlets that stock similar products – and we don’t even have to buy a new appliance while we are there. That’s pretty practical, isn’t it?
So the next time you go to a large Coop, Migros or Manor store, simply put your faulty heart rate monitor and cable in your rucksack and hand it in to the relevant department. Retailers such as Fust, Interdiscount and MediaMarkt and sports shops that sell heart rate monitors will also accept them free of charge.
750 SENS collection points throughout Switzerland
In many towns and municipalities, there are also public collection points that accept electrical and electronic appliances free of charge. Over 750 of these collection points are operated throughout Switzerland. You can dispose of entire boxes full of your hoarded electrical and electronic appliances – without having to pay any additional fees.
Practical disposal in your letterbox
Yes, you read that correctly. You can now also put your electrical or electronic appliances in an Electro Recycling Bag and pop it in your letterbox. Swiss Post will collect it there free of charge. The bags cost CHF 4.50 and have space for 10 kilograms of electronic waste.
And what about Swiss online shops? Do they take back electronic appliances?
Yes, Galaxus, Digitec and Brack and the like are also obliged to accept old electrical or electronic appliances, regardless of whether you purchased them there or not. Most online retailers refer you to their locations for disposal. Galaxus also accepts returns by post. In this case, consumers are only responsible for paying the cost of postage.