Tender launched to improve collection and recovery of critical raw materials from electrical waste

February 23rd, 2016

Trials will identify the link between the methods of collection and the successful recovery of critical raw materials from household WEEE.

More than €660,000 is being invested in trials to identify the link between the methods of collection and the successful recovery of critical raw materials from household waste electrical and electronic products.

The Collect and Recovery trial tender is open now. Suppliers are encouraged to demonstrate the entire collection, reuse and recovery cycle within their tenders. Collection trials must be delivered in the UK, Germany, Italy or Turkey, and the recovery trials must happen in an EU member state. Bids from single entities or consortia are equally encouraged. Closing date for applications is 7th April 2016.

Full details on the eligibility criteria, scope and timescales can be found on the CRM (Critical Raw Materials) project website.

Each year around 9.9 million tonnes of Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) are generated in the EU, but only 30% is reported as properly collected and recycled. The Critical Raw Materials Closed Loop Recovery Project aims to increase the recovery of target critical raw materials by 5% by 2020 and by 20% by 2030.

The collection and recovery trials are the first stage in the €2.1m, three-and-a-half-year project, which is supported by the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union, Innovate UK and the Welsh Government, and led by WRAP. The outputs from the trials will inform policy recommendation throughout the EU.

Project partners include ERP, the European Advanced Recycling Network (EARN), the Wuppertal Institute and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN).

Scott Butler, Global Products and Services Director at ERP, said:

“The Critical Raw Material Recovery project is a major R&D project that will allow us to assess whether we can get more value from the WEEE that is collected and treated across Europe and explore further opportunities for improving the collection of end-of-life products. The benefits from these trials could have major benefits for producers and the circular economy, as well as the environment and society as a whole.”

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