Detox
The first step in the recycling process is the removal of critical components from the e-waste in order to avoid dilution of and / or contamination with toxic substances during the downstream processes.
Till today this work requires much manual labour and thus is unprofitable considering Swiss wages. Here the ARF covers most of the costs and often this manual processes are outsourced by the large recyclers to nearby social institutions.
 |
PC: CRT screens contain a number of critical metals such as Lead, Berillium etc. which require a manual pre-treatment. Flame retarted plastics are partly banned under the RoHS and pose a serious problem if leaking from recycling to contaminating other plastics. Consequently they are frequently destroyed / incinerated. |
 |
Refrigerator: the most important step in detoxing cooling appliances is the removal of (Ozon depleting) CFC gases which are contained in the cooling circuit and the insulation foam. |
 |
Light-Bulb: Tubelights contain Mercury in the fill-gas and the starter electronic may use PCB containing capacitors which both are highly toxic substances thus need to be removed carefully. |
 |
Battery: Heavy metals contained in the batteries (Mercury, Cadmium, Lead) are removed during the refining process. Batteries should remain 'untouched' to avoid leakage during handling and transport. |