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Merck

Recycling

We are committed to assisting customers to meet all applicable environment, health, and safety (EHS) laws and regulations.

Recycling symbol

Recycling Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

The Directive 2002/96/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) came into force on February 13, 2003 and has been transposed into national law by the EU member states on August 13, 2005. The EU Directive 2002/96/EC was created to improve the collection and recycling of WEEE throughout the EU, and to reduce the level of non-recycled waste. Directive 2002/96/EC was repealed with effect from 15 February 2014 and replaced by EU Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment.

We produce and sell electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) as defined in the European Union (EU) directive 2012/19/EU to markets in the European Union. It is our policy to meet all applicable environment, health and safety (EHS) laws and regulations. We have registered in Member States according to WEEE legislation requirements.

Customers sending electrical and electronic equipment for recycling are advised that all returned items must be cleaned and free from contamination. A complete decontamination must be performed on all equipment suspected of being contaminated. The Equipment Decontamination Procedure to be followed by our customers can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

Decontamination Procedure

Any equipment likely to be contaminated MUST be de-contaminated by the recommended decontamination procedure prior to collection.

Please note: Products that are considered as a biological hazard or have been medically contaminated are not to be recycled through this program but must be treated as bio-hazard waste and disposed of in accordance with your local regulations.

Recycling can

Electronic and Electrical Equipment we placed onto the market in Europe are marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol to indicate that they are covered by the WEEE Directive, which imposes a number of obligations on producers of EEE including obligations relating to the financing of the take-back treatment and recycling of end of life equipment (WEEE).
Please note the following instructions when you want to recycle your end of life equipment:

  • electrical equipment should not be disposed of in household waste
  • used batteries/accumulators and lamps should be separated from the equipment
  • please delete your personal data before recycling the equipment

In each of the following states of the EEA, we offer a product take-back service to our customers. For details on how to proceed, please find below the appropriate information in your respective country:

In EU states where our products are sold through distributors, please contact the distributor directly to inquire about disposal of WEEE. please find below the appropriate information in your respective country:


Batteries

Batteries

The Directive 2006/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators and repealing Directive 91/157/EEC, commonly known as the Battery Directive, regulates the manufacture and disposal of batteries in the European Union with the aim to ensure that batteries on the EU market are sustainable and safe throughout their life cycle.

Batteries and accumulators contain various metals, e.g., zinc, iron, manganese, nickel, cadmium, and lead. Some of these compounds (mercury, lead, and cadmium) can be very harmful to the health of humans and the environment. Batteries are usually marked with symbols of the chemical element(s) contained inside the battery (Pb, Cd, Hg).

By proper disposal, i.e., using the collection and recycling schemes, you can assure the material will be recycled. This can preserve primary raw materials and protect the environment from the effects of unprofessional and potentially harmful treatment of waste.

Recycling is one way you can help the environment and you should dispose of used batteries separately from other waste. Please see the collection and recycling schemes available.

For details on how to recycle used batteries, please find below the appropriate information in your respective country:

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