Recycling of electronic products
Electronic products contain toxic materials such as heavy metals and flame-resistant agents, although the proportion of toxic materials in electronic products is steadily declining.
The directive known as RoHS forbids the use of quicksilver, cadmium, lead, six-worth chrome, as well as the flame-resistant agents PBB and PBDE in electrical and electronic products launched on the market as of July 2006.
In view of that end-of-life electronic products are dangerous for the environment, it is important that they be collected and recycled in the correct way. It is also important that the products be submitted for recycling as complete as possible. Sorting and dismantling is done by hand, and the process is rendered more difficult if the products have been taken apart or are dirty
After collection, the materials are transported to various recycling companies. Environmentally hazardous components are removed by skilled personnel, and are treated as hazardous waste. In certain cases, components and products can be re-used. The dismantled parts are sorted by material-classification and then recycled in different processes.
Copper, lead, aluminium and iron are found in most electronic products. Many IT products contain small amounts of gold, palladium and silver. The metals are ground down and can subsequently be used in new products. Glass is crushed and re-used. Most electronic products contain plastic, but wood and cloth are also found in certain products. Such materials are incinerated for energy production.
Our ambition is based on that the recycling of electronic products shall be the final part of their lifecycle, which often consists of sale, delivery, service, upgrading, repair, guarantee, insurance, and finally scrapping and the sale of a new product. Scrapping thereby becomes a natural part of the product´s lifecycle.
