Recycling / Design for Recycling

The flow of waste electronics is increasing, while at the same time valuable resources used in electronics are growing increasingly scarce as demand increases. Part of the problem is that products are not built to be recycled, which in some cases lead to degradation of materials and valuables such as gold ending up in low concentrations in scrap metal. Stena Recycling wants to mitigate these effects by initiating communication with designers of products, as they are key stakeholders in how recyclable a product will be.

Through an integrated process involving both designers and recyclers a service has been created in order to bridge the knowledge and cultural gaps between the recycling industry and product developers of electronic equipment. The service is centered around a product analysis and a feedback report where recycling and end of life aspects of the product are discussed. Advice on how to improve the product’s recyclability from a current perspective is provided in the service, as well as an outlook on the future of recycling. The service has been tested on two major cases and two reference cases to verify requirements and make the service broadly applicable and relevant.