129,000 tons of e-waste collected in 2017
E-waste sends its regards: The Swiss population disposed of just over 129,000 tons of waste electrical and electronic equipment in 2017. Although consumers are returning more equipment overall, the total weight fell slightly compared to the previous year. The reason is the continuing trend away from CRTs to flat screens.
Not all electrical and electronic equipment returned to Switzerland is e-waste. On the one hand, there is still an advance recycling fee (VRB) in the old equipment, which is incurred when a new product is purchased. On the other hand, valuable components can be found in the many recyclable electronic devices.
Electronics recycling is organized and managed by the two take-back systems Swico Recycling and SENS eRecycling. In 2017, a total of 129,218 tons of electronic waste was generated (previous year 137,808). This corresponds to 15 kg per inhabitant. In terms of total weight, 62 percent is accounted for by household appliances and light bulbs (SENS eRecycling), while 38 percent is old IT, telecommunications and consumer electronics equipment (Swico Recycling).
TV dent still noticeable
The trend toward more powerful and at the same time lighter ICT products continued in 2017. A total of 48,525 tons of IT, consumer electronics and telecommunications equipment were returned (previous year 52,362 tons). Unit numbers thus continued to rise, but the total weight of the quantities taken back by Swico Recycling fell by around 7.3 percent. The main driver remains the technology shift in TV sets, which account for a large proportion of Swico tonnages: While picture tube sets used to be returned, today it is increasingly lighter flat screens. The number of CRT PC monitors returned has fallen by 26 percent, while the figure for CRT TVs is down 24 percent.
More and more join in
The voluntary take-back system Swico Recycling also enjoys great popularity among manufacturers and importers of ICT, consumer electronics & office technology. The number of convention signatories, i.e. companies that participate in the system and add the early recycling fee to their equipment, grew by 42 new partners to 568 companies last year (+8 percent). It is pleasing that there are no free riders in the ICT and consumer electronics sector in Switzerland that endanger solidarity. Further figures and information can be found in the Swico Annual Report 2017.
Fund account at SENS eRecycling balanced
SENS eRecycling revised the voluntary re-naming system last year and made it even leaner and more efficient. Thanks to this proactive system update and the good raw material prices, SENS can look back on a pleasing result in the 2017 financial year and can thus compensate for the revenue shortfalls in the fund resulting from foreign purchasing and foreign online trading. With 722 affiliated manufacturers and importers, the take-back system is very well positioned and broadly supported throughout Switzerland. More information on the figures and highlights in 2017 can be found in the Annual Report 2017.
Take-back volumes for household appliances similar to previous year
In the SENS system, 80,000 tons of electrical and electronic equipment were taken back and processed. Compared to the previous year, the take-back volume remained the same or even slightly decreased in almost all categories. The development in photovoltaics is exciting - since the beginning of 2015, modules have been taken back at all SENS collection points. The first generation photovoltaic systems are now being continuously dismantled and replaced by modern, efficient systems. This trend is very clearly reflected in the take-back rates: While in 2015, around 70 tons each of PV modules were recycled with SENS, in 2017, the figure was already around 337 tons. However, these are still very small quantities.
Detailed information on the individual equipment categories can be found in the technical report on our respective websites: swico.ch and eRecycling.ch
