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Streams – WEEE

WEEE – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Modern electronics are made of rare and expensive resources, which can be recycled and reused if the waste is effectively managed, saving raw materials.

From big to small, from lamps to IT, when devices reach their end-of-life they are considered Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). WEEE contains a complex mixture of materials, some of which are hazardous, which can cause major environmental and health problems if the discarded devices are not managed properly.

Improving the collection, treatment, and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) at the end of their life can

• improve sustainable
• production and consumption
• increase resource efficiency
• contribute to the circular economy

weee Recycling

Which are the WEEE categories?

There are different categories of WEEE, regarding its composition and ways of management, treatment, and recycling:

The EU has introduced the WEEE Directive and the RoHS Directive to tackle the issue of the growing amount of WEEE.

WEEE Directive – here

Large domestic appliances

Washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, cookers. The first phase of recycling is decontamination. Cables and other electrical components are removed; ballasts, plastics, iron compounds and other metals are separated and recovered. These materials are then sent for further processing and recycling.

Recyclingprocess

1. Pre-sorting decontamination

2. Shredding

3. Separation

Recycled material

Cables

Concrete

Condenser

Plastic

Ferrous Metal

Non-Ferrous Metal

Cooling appliances

Refrigerators, freezers, automatic machines for cold products.

The products include refrigerators, freezers and all appliances with cooling units such as water coolers. Some appliances also contain refrigerant gases classified as ozone-depleting substances (ODP) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) which are now banned.

These gases are captured and processed in ODP extraction facilities. Cold appliance cleaning involves a number of processes: compressors are decontaminated to recover ODP and oils; insulating foam is treated to restore ODP; metals are salvaged and resold, and plastics can be reused for new products.
Oils and ODP are destroyed in a specialized treatment process.

Recycling process

1. Decontamination

2. Shredding

3. Seperation

4. Foam decontamination

Recycled material

Gas

Oil

Condenser

Plastic

Ferrous Metal

Foam

TV and screens/Display equipment

TVs, monitors, LCD, PC monitors.
Display equipment includes cathode ray tubes (found in old-fashioned TVs and computer monitors) and flat-screen TVs and computer monitors, such as plasma and liquid crystal (LCD) displays.

Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) contain dangerous phosphor powder, lead glass, copper and other rare metals. These materials can be reused to make new products. Panel and funnel glass from the cathode ray tubes are also recycled. The coating on the funnel glass is removed and the glass is cleaned for new CRT production.

Most LCD TVs use mercury lamps to illuminate the screen. To remove the lamps, the device must be disassembled before processing the LCD screen. Research is currently underway to develop more efficient, automated solutions.

Recycling process

1. Manual disassembly

2. Cathode ray tube separation

3. Crushing and removal of metal

4. Glass cleaning

Recycled materials

Ferrous metal

Non- Ferrous metal

Screen and electronics

Circuit board

Leaded glass

Non-Leaded glass

Small appliances

Vacuum cleaners, sewing machines, irons, toasters, electric knives, hair dryers, radio sets, electric and electronic toys, fixtures;

This is the most complicated WEEE stream as a wide range of materials can be recycled: wood, metal, plastic, glass and cardboard.

This category includes appliances for cleaning (e.g. vacuum cleaners, carpet sweepers, etc.), appliances used for sewing, knitting, weaving and other processing of textiles, irons and other appliances for ironing and other care of clothes, toasters, deep fryers, grinders , coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages, electric knives, apparatus for hair cutting, hair drying, brushing teeth, shaving, massage and other body care appliances, clocks, watches and equipment for measuring, indicating or recording time, etc.

These devices are shredded, and plastics are separated from metals. Initial decontamination includes removal of ink toners, cartridges, batteries and cables.

Recycling process

1. Manual disassembly

2. Crushing and removal of metal

3. Picking station

4.Shredding

5. Seperation

Recycled materials

Cables

Waste

Plastic

Fine materials

Iron holding Metal

Non- Iron holding Metal

Individual components

Gas discharge lamps

straight fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent tubes, low-pressure sodium lamps, LED lamps.

This category includes fluorescent tubes and low-energy light bulbs, also known as compact fluorescent tubes (CFL), while old-fashioned incandescent lamps and halogen lights are not categorized as WEEE.

Lamps are crushed and washed or treated in pressure vessels. Specialized machines are used to remove dangerous mercury and phosphorus. The remaining material is then sorted into glass, metals and plastics.

Phosphorus powder and recovered mercury can be reused to make new lamps. The broken glass can be used for oven linings or, if it is clean enough, to make new lamps. Aluminum end pieces are melted, and other metals are recycled.

Recycling process

1. Shredding

2. Seperation

3. Dust recovery

Recycled materials

Ferrous meta

Non- Ferrous metal

Mercury

Photovoltaic panels

Silicon-based PV panels require normal flat glass processing and no special removal of the semiconductor layer.

Non-silicon-based PV panels require special semiconductor removal technology and isolation of toxic heavy metals.

Recycling process

1. Remove cables, plug and semiconductor

2. Separate aluminum and glass from the PV module

3. Remove labels

4. Reuse or recycle the EVA film and recover chemical elements such as cadmium and selenium

5. Separate into fractions (EVA film, aluminium, wafer, cable and plastic plug, semiconductor, glass)

6. Recycle the glass fraction in a smelter

Recycled materials

Leaded glass

Components

Plastic

Leadfree glass

Cables

Metal

Cadmium

IT Equipment

Centralized data processing:

• Mainframes, minicomputers and printer units

Personal data processing:

• Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), laptops (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), laptops, notebooks

• Printers, copying equipment, electric and electronic typewriters

• Pocket and desktop calculators

• Other products and equipment for collecting, storing, processing, presenting or communicating information electronically

• User terminals and systems

• Fax machine (fax), telex, telephones, pay telephones, wireless telephones, mobile telephones, answering machines

• Other products or equipment for the transmission of sound, images or other information via telecommunications

Recycling process

1. Inspect

2. Cleaning

3. Data sanitization

4. Repair

Recycling process

1. Decontamination

2. Shredding

3. Separation

Recycled materials

Cables

Screens

Capacitors

Plastic

Metals

Batteries

Circuit board