Recycling options for types of waste materials

Electronic and electrical equipment is one of the main types of waste that policymakers are aiming to stop being sent to landfill.

How electrical products are recycled

The four methods for recycling electrical products are:

• equipment dismantling - manually separating reusable components
• mechanical recycling - removing plastic and ferrous material after granulating and shredding
• incineration and refining - recovering metal after combustible material has been incinerated
• chemical recycling - removing precious metals such as gold and silver from printed circuit boards

If you intend to use these or new and innovative methods, you should speak to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) to check whether they need to regulate your business using a permit or exemption. You can also make sure they are satisfied with any environmental impacts your processes may have. For more information, contact the NIEA Helpline on Tel 0845 302 0008.

You should also look into the market conditions for any recycled materials that you are going to produce.

For more detailed information on recycling waste electrical products see waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).