Interzero: E-waste can be prevented

Berlin/Cologne. On the occasion of E-Waste Day on October 14, 2023, and World Repair Day on October 21, 2023, Europe's leading recycling service provider Interzero points out that virtually all components of electrical and electronic equipment can be very easily reused. They only need to be properly treated after use to either reuse them and unlock contained recyclables for new products.

This advice is all the more urgent because only around 40 percent of electronic waste is recycled in Germany, meaning that Germany is well short of the minimum collection target of 65 percent that applies to EU countries.

A look at the media reveals further problems: Incorrectly disposed of batteries lead to fires in sorting plants and during waste transport. Electronic waste is illegally exported abroad by criminal gangs. At the same time, there are repeated supply bottlenecks for ICT equipment, and the raw materials needed for the equipment have to be purchased on increasingly volatile world markets and from sources that are hardly sustainable. All of this does not have to be the case or can at least be greatly reduced.

Manufacturers and retailers, but also the companies and end consumers who use the devices, have a responsibility here. There are established recycling solutions in Germany and Europe - which also fulfill all legal regulations.

Interzero offers the appropriate services for all recycling steps for electronic and electrical devices as well as batteries, which are provided in a user-friendly manner via digital platforms.

Interzero EPR Services ensure registration with the ear foundation in line with producer and retailer responsibility and offer a smooth, individual take-back system for the collection and recycling of WEEE. With the digital Interzero WEEE Portal, the life cycle for e-devices can be closed completely.

Interzero Product Cycle offers the comprehensive and data protection compliant solution for the remanufacturing of electronic and electrical devices. Residual components of devices that can no longer be recycled are handed over to appropriate partners for extraction of the recyclable materials. Thus, at Interzero, a total of approximately 300,000 devices pass through the professional refurbishment process every year, which is implemented completely and in a climate-friendly manner within Germany. On the portal gebrauchte-technik.de, the equipment can be purchased by companies and private customers at significantly lower prices than new equipment. With the help of a collection box provided by Interzero, companies also have the opportunity to collect smartphones for social or sustainable causes.

For the separate area of used batteries, especially from the automotive sector, the Interzero company SIMPLi RETURN handles all process steps to ensure they are recycled safely. Here, logistics is a particular challenge due to the high fire risk. The know-how of the employees and special transport containers make recycling safe.

Interzero follows the vision of a "world without waste" with all its services for its customers. Interzero was nominated for the German Sustainability Award 2024 for its consistent commitment and successful implementation of concrete projects in the area of waste prevention and recycling. The company is one of the finalists in the waste management and recycling category.