The site will recycle and process e-waste, extracting valuable raw materials from 25,000 tonnes of metal a year.
Coolrec is a subsidiary of Renewi and its site will recycle WEEE using three processes, said Arjen Wittekoek, Director of Coolrec, “The appliances first pass through a depollution line, where all the harmful materials are removed, such as coolants from refrigerators and batteries from electronics. Once the cabling has been removed, the electronic devices enter the brown line and the fridges are processed on a separate fridge line.”
Wittekoek also explained that: “An intensive shredding and separation process results in very clean raw material streams. We process the plastics into new raw materials, while we sell the steel and aluminium back to industry and all of the precious metals to another processor for further separation. Coolrec isn’t just a WEEE processor but also an important supplier of secondary raw materials to contribute to the Circular Economy.”
The high value raw materials from e-waste and domestic appliances are recycled so that plastics, metals and other particles can be used again and WitteKoek commented: “There is a large proportion of valuable materials in discarded equipment. Using innovative technology allows us to recover specific materials so they can be reused to manufacture new products such as new fridges.
Recovering these high-value materials also results directly in a CO2 reduction, allowing us to support our customer’s sustainability objectives. In collaboration with CRM (Centre De Recherches Metallurgiques), we are working to further improve the quality of the secondary raw materials.”
Social responsibility is a top priority for Wittekoek: “Coolrec contributes to the circular economy and also takes social responsibility seriously. As part of this we are creating employment opportunities in Wallonia, with particular attention and scope for people who have had problems accessing the employment market, 15 out of over 60 employees at Recydel have had such difficulties and we are therefore delighted to help these members of our team secure employment.”