Who are you

Consumers

The consumers role

As consumers buy more and more products, product lifecycles consistently decrease. This increases waste volume, such as discarded packaging, batteries, and disused devices. Simple solutions can relieve the pressure.

Effective recycling solutions benefit people, businesses, and the environment. And they are needed more than ever at a time when waste volumes are increasing and efficient ways must be found to recycle electronic devices, batteries, bottles, paper metal, glass, packaging, and more.

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Consumer involvement: What can be recycled?

We believe recycling should be simple. However, the participation of all of us, as consumers or citizens is crucial to make it happen.

We can choose where to deliver our waste regarding its type to guarantee its sorting, treatment, and recycling. The beginning of the waste management chain depends on consumers and then, ERP will do the rest, energizing operations and technical procedures.

Our pyramid of decisions and behaviours to promote a circular economy begins in the shop when we choose our product. Do we consider its energy efficiency? Do we verify if the product is recyclable or has recycled materials?

During usage, we should bear in mind some maintenance and care measures to extend our product’s life cycle, including reuse and repair. If there is no option for the product than recycling, let’s give it a second life!

Recycling of waste from A to Z

After being collected, waste is sorted by groups with different characteristics and treatment requirements to be recycled when not reused. The loop is closed when raw materials are reintroduced into the production system.

Learn about the recycling process by selecting the icons below.

ERP Recycling Image

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Recycling materials for a healthy environment

ERP resources icon

Recycling saves valuable raw materials and conserves energy. Our planet’s resources are finite. Only increased use of secondary raw materials can stop the linear economy and conserve available resources.

Our space is finite; landfills poison our environment with hazardous, toxic substances.

ERP environment health

A safer and greener environment improves the quality and enjoyment of our lives.

Recycling means we consume fewer materials, have less waste to treat, and spend less energy mining and refining new raw materials.

Recycling

What are portable batteries?

Batteries or accumulators are any sources of electrical energy generated by direct conversion of chemical energy and consisting of one or more primary battery cells (non-rechargeable) or consisting of one or more secondary battery cells (rechargeable).

Most types of batteries contain toxic heavy metals, including nickel, cadmium, and mercury. All of these metals can be recovered and reused.

Recycling batteries is good for the environment as it keeps them out of landfill, where heavy metals may leak into the ground, causing soil and water pollution and endangering animal and plant life. If batteries are incinerated with household waste, the heavy metals inside them cause air pollution.

Large domestic appliances

Washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashing machines, cookers;
The first stage 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 recovery.

Recycling process

1. Pre-shedding decontamination

2. Shredding

3. Separation

Recovered materials

Cables

Concrete

Capacitor

Plastic

Ferrous Metal

Non-Ferrous Metal

Temperature exchange equipment /Cooling appliances

Refrigerators, freezers, automatic cold products delivery machines.

Products include fridges, freezers, and any appliances with refrigerating devices such as water coolers. Some appliances also contain refrigerant gases classified as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) that are now banned.

These gases are captured and treated in ODS recovery plants. Cold appliance de-pollution entails a variety of processes: compressors are decontaminated to recover ODS and oils; insulating foam is treated to recover ODS; metals are salvaged and resold, and plastics can be reused for new products. Recovered oils and ODS are destroyed in a specialised treatment process.

Recycling process

1. Decontamination

2. Shredding

3. Separation

4. Foam decontamination

Recovered materials

Gas

Oil

Capacitor

Plastic

Ferrous Metal

Foam

Display equipment

Televisions, screens, LCD, pc monitors

Display equipment includes cathode ray tubes (found in old-style TV sets and computer monitors) and flat-screen TVs and computer monitors, such as plasma and liquid crystal displays (LCD).
Cathode ray tubes (CRT) contain hazardous phosphor powder, leaded 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 recovered. The coating on the funnel glass is removed and the glass is cleaned for new CRT manufacture.
Most LCD TVs use mercury lamps to light the screen. To remove the lamps, the appliance must be disassembled before processing the LCD screen. Research is currently being carried out to develop more effective, automated solutions.

Recycling process

1. Hand dismantling

2. Cathode ray tube separation (Pb, Ba)

3. Crushing and metal removal

4. Glass cleaning

Recovered materials

Ferrous Metal

Foam

Monitor body and electronics

Circuit Board

Leaded glass

Unleaded glass

Small Domestic Appliances

Vacuum cleaners, appliances for sewing, irons, toasters, electric knives, hairdryers, radio sets, electrical and electronic toys, luminaires;

This is the most complicated WEEE stream as a wide variety of materials can be recovered: 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 for textiles, irons and other appliances for ironing, mangling and other care of clothing, toasters, fryers, grinders, coffee machines and equipment for opening or sealing containers or packages, electric knives, appliances for hair cutting, hair drying, tooth brushing, shaving, massage and other body care appliances, clocks, watches and equipment to measure, indicate or registering time, etc.

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

Recycling process

1. Manual pretreatment

2. Crushing

3. Picking station

4. Shredding

5. Separation

Recovered materials

Cables

Waste

Plastic

Fine materials

Ferrous Metal

Non-Ferrous Metal

Individual Components

Lamps

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

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

Lamps are crushed and washed or treated in pressurised containers. Specialised machines are used to remove hazardous mercury and phosphor. Then, the remaining material is sorted into glass, metals, and plastics.

Phosphor powder and recovered mercury can be re-used to make new lamps. The crushed glass can be used for furnace linings or, if pure enough, to make new lamps. Aluminium end caps are smelted, and other metals are recycled.

Recycling process

1. Shredding

2. Separation

3. Dust recovery

Recovered materials

Ferrous Metal

Non-Ferrous Metal

Mercury

PV panels

Silicon-based PV panels require normal flat glass treatment 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 aluminium 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

Recovered materials

Leaded glass

Individual Components

Plastic

Unleaded glass

Cables

Metal

Cadmium

Batteries

Small producers

You may only place small amounts of batteries onto the market but need a trusted, reliable partner to carry out your obligations. We can do this for you.

Large producers

If your company places significant amounts of batteries onto the market, we offer competitive compliance solutions, as well as expertise in take-back and awareness-raising campaigns.

Recycling process

1. Sorting

2. Shredding

Recovered materials

Plastic

Lead

Cobalt

Nickel

Metal

Manganese

Acid

Mercury

Zinc

Cadmium

Recycling Process

  1. Collection
  2. Separation
  3. Decoating (if coated)
  4. Melting
  5. Casting
  6. Manufacture

Recycling Process

  1. Collection
  2. Treatment (including sorting, cleaning and decontamination)
  3. Crushing and melting
  4. Manufacture

Recycling Process

  1. Collection
  2. Processing (including de-inking, cleaning and screening)
  3. Manufacture

Recycling Process

  1. Collection
  2. Compacting
  3. Melting
  4. Casting
  5. Rolling
  6. Manufacture

Recycling Process

  1. Collection
  2. Sorting and separation
  3. Shredding
  4. Treatment
  5. Manufacture

Recycling Process

  1. Collection
  2. Segregation
  3. Decontamination
  4. Production
  5. Final products

IT Equipment

Centralised data processing:

• Mainframes, minicomputers and printer units

Personal computing:

Personal computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), laptop computers (CPU, mouse, screen and keyboard included), notebook computers, notepad computers

Printers, copying equipment, electrical and electronic typewriters

• Pocket and desk calculators

• Other products and equipment for the collection, storage, processing, presentation or communication of information by electronic means

• User terminals and systems

• Facsimile machine (fax), telex, telephones, pay telephones, cordless telephones, cellular telephones, answering systems

• Other products or equipment of transmitting sound, images or other information by telecommunications

Reuse process

1. Inspection

2. Cleaning

3. Data Sanitation

4. Repair

Recycling process

1. Decontamination

2. Shredding

3. Separation

Recovered materials

Cables

Screens

Capacitors

Plastics

Metals

Batteries

Circuit boards