Entitlement 1: free take-back on purchase
When you buy new equipment of equivalent characteristics, the distributor must take the old one back free of charge. That includes cases where the sale involves home delivery.
So: buy a new washing machine with delivery, and whoever delivers it takes the old one away at no cost. This is not a commercial favour or a matter of the shop's goodwill. It is an obligation on the distributor.
Worth confirming at the point of sale and asking for it to be noted on the order, because it is not always offered spontaneously.
Entitlement 2: small devices, no purchase needed
This one is even less known. Very small equipment, no external dimension greater than 25 cm, can be handed in free at retail stores with a sales area over 400 m², with no obligation to buy anything.
Chargers, headphones, mice, remotes, old phones, small toasters: if it fits the 25 cm rule, you can simply drop it at a large store. Nothing to buy, nothing to pay.
Where the rest goes
- Collection points of the licensed management entities, currently Amb3E and ERP Portugal, where drop-off is free
- The municipal ecocentro, in most councils
- The council's bulky-waste collection, where the item is large and the service accepts it (check: not every "monos" service takes appliances)
What never to do
- Leave it on the pavement beside a bin. It is not general waste collection, it sits there for weeks, and in many councils it is improper dumping and finable
- Put it in an ecoponto. WEEE is not packaging and none of the three bins takes it
- Dismantle fridges, freezers or air conditioners. They contain refrigerant gases that must be extracted by someone licensed to do it
- Strip out "useful" parts before handing it over: a dismantled appliance can no longer follow the normal treatment route
Why this matters to people who never bought an appliance
Because it is the source of a significant share of the bulky items abandoned in the street. People do not leave a washing machine out of laziness. They leave it because they think there is no affordable alternative.
Once you know the shop is obliged to take the old one, and that a small device can be handed in without buying anything, a good part of the problem stops existing. That is information, not enforcement.
If it is already in the street
An abandoned appliance on a public road is something to report to the council, like any other bulky item that is not yours.
Logging it on CleanSpot as well adds a date, a photo and coordinates, and if it is always the same spot, builds the history showing that location needs a different answer, whether signage or a closer ecocentro.
Sources
Can a shop refuse to take my old appliance?
When you buy new equipment of equivalent characteristics, take-back of the old one is assured free of charge by the distributor, including where there is home delivery. Confirm at purchase and ask for it to be noted.
Can I hand in an old charger without buying anything?
Yes, if no external dimension exceeds 25 cm and the store has a sales area over 400 m². Drop-off is free and requires no purchase.
What if I bought online?
The take-back obligation follows the sale, including where it involves home delivery. Confirm the arrangements when ordering.
Do fridges count?
They count as WEEE and follow the same routes, but must not be dismantled: they contain refrigerant gases requiring treatment by a licensed entity.