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In our country, a record of electrical and lamps was collected last year. But the number of ‘missing refrigerators’ remains a major problem.
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The Belgians brought 122,548 tons of discarded electrics and lamps to a collection point last year, an increase of 4.4 percent. This corresponds to the weight of 488 passenger aircraft.
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All told, around 44 million devices (refrigerators, washing machines, PCs, cell phones, smoke detectors, TVs, monitors, electric toothbrushes) were brought in, 22 percent more than in 2018. Never before has so much e-waste been collected. Both in weight and in number.
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This is stated in the annual report of Recupel, the non-profit organization responsible for the sustainable collection and processing of discarded electrical and electronic appliances. More than 10 million lamps and luminaires were brought together for the first time.
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Refrigerators
The recovery of refrigerators and freezers remains a problem. Sellers are obliged to take back old appliances via the take-back obligation. But after that it doesn’t always go as it should.
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Recupel collected nearly 10 percent more refrigerators and freezers last year than in 2018. However, an estimated 190,000 are still not going to an approved processor. In 2018, there were still more than 220,000. Around 600,000 refrigerators and freezers are sold in our country every year. According to Recupel, only 400,000 of the devices that are replaced end up with recognized processors. Belgium has three. A third therefore remains ‘missing’.
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Campaign
“That is a lot,” says Saar Bentein from Recupel. It is unclear where these refrigeration and freezing devices end up. “They probably go on illegal exports or regular scrap heap. The problem is that refrigerators contain harmful coolants and gases that deplete the ozone layer. Approved centers drain this manually and ensure that 98 percent of the materials in the refrigerators are reused. If the cabinets end up elsewhere, there is a good chance that they will be processed incorrectly. ‘ The CO2 emissions of an incorrectly processed device would be comparable to that of a car driving 7,500 km.
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To raise the issue, Recupel will conduct an awareness campaign in the autumn.
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To encourage the recovery of old appliances, Recupel set up an online platform at the end of last year for SMEs, schools and care institutions where they can offer their surplus of electrical or discarded appliances for reuse or recycling. “The project is going well,” says Bentein, “but it is too early for a thorough analysis.”
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