Calculation method according to § 31 paragraph 5, paragraph 7 clause 1 ElektroG

The calculation of the pick-up obligation takes place according to the type of equipment. § 16 paragraph 1 ElektroG defines the pick-up obligation a producer/authorised representative has for the collection group supplied for by the public-law disposal services (örE) from the reports to the Gemeinsame Stelle (§ 14 paragraph 1 clause 1 ElektroG). For this, the proportion of a producer’s type of equipment in each collection group must be determined.

I. Determining the proportion of a registered producer in a group (Input proportion) 

This takes place in two steps:

1. Determining a producer’s input proportion towards the total amount of electrical and electronic equipment per type of equipment placed on the market. 

The amount of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market is derived from the monthly is-in-put reports. If there is no such report in an individual case, an estimated monthly input amount which is estimated by stiftung ear will be applied instead.

2. Determining the share of a type of equipment by the contents of the individual groups

This is determined using statistical analysis. For this, following statistical rules, full containers of one group that have been reported for pick-up are analysed according to given sorting rules to see what the actual contents are made up of before subsequent treatment. These analyses deliver the actual relation of the individual types of equipment to each other within the individual collection groups.

The combination of the results according to 1 and 2 result in the share a producer has in the group. This calculation is updated on a monthly basis.

II. Determining the pick-up obligation after a full report

There is a matrix of registered producers/authorised representatives for each collection group, based on the information

• which type of equipment belongs to this group;
• which producers place which types of and how much equipment on the market and proprtinately pick-up respectively collect waste equipment.

The örE (resp. the handover facility for it) reports – provided the legal minimum pick-up amount has been reached – to stiftung ear that a container for a group is waiting to be picked up. An average weight is set for the respective minimum pick-up amount. The average weight amount for this group is then put into the calculation for one of the producers/authorised representatives in the matrix’s appropriate disposal weight. In the matrix of the appropriate group, the producer/authorised representative that has the highest pick-up obligation is then determined. He is then allocated the pick-up, according to the following calculation method: 

First the complete average weight of the group is put onto his take-back account – that means his pick-up obligation is lowered. The take-back obligation is raised in the matrix for all producers/authorised representatives, depending on their share in the group and how high their share in the group that has to be picked up would be.

III. Correction ‘Average weight to actual weight‘

The mandatory report of the actual disposed of weight ( so called Is-Output) of the clearly identifiable pick-up starts a ‘clarification’ of the calculation process. With this, the actual weight data as a basis for the determination of the pick-up obligations in the producer (autorised representative) matrix using the same calculation method as above for the average weight, is described. Additionally, these reports are continually used to update the average weight for each group.

IV. Taking own take-backs into account

So-called ‘Own take-backs’ are added to the pick-up obligation in favour of the producer according to their actual weight (§ 31 paragraph 6 clause 5 ElektroG), and the complete same weight is shared between the other producers, according to their share in the group.

For this, the producers/authorised representatives must submit the reports to the ear system and in the same way prove these as the reports of the actual weight of a pick-up ordered by ear.

Amending open pick-up obligations

The system described above cannot balance all pick-up obligations for all affected producers/authorised representatives for each end of the month or end of the year. This is why all positive and negative overlaps are passed on to the next time frame (month or year).

Certification calculation method

The certification provided by Professors Runge and Gallenkemper (Münster) from September 13th 2005, confirms that this calculation method works according to the regulations by ElektroG and was successfully re-examined by Professor Doedens in the year 2009.