How Miscellaneous Electronics Are Recycled

The single largest category of electrical and electronic waste is called miscellaneous electronics. Each year, El-Kretsen collects around 80,000 tonnes of monitors, household appliances, toys, and more. That is more than half of all electronic waste in Sweden.

The miscellaneous electronics category includes most small and medium-sized products found in our homes, everything from: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs to vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, coffee makers, and electronic toys. In fact, El-Kretsen collects more products every year, even though the weight of individual items is decreasing – largely because electronics manufacturers are using more plastic and less metal.

Because miscellaneous electronics make up such a large share of all electrical and electronic waste, they are collected and pretreated at many different locations in Sweden. Efficient logistics with pretreatment at multiple sites reduces unnecessary transport from collection points, thereby also reducing the climate impact.

Electrical Waste with a Cord or Electronic Waste with a Battery?

Since 1 January 2024, miscellaneous electronics have been divided into two subcategories: electrical waste with a cord and electronic waste with a battery. This is done at all recycling centres where it is possible. The reason for sorting electronic waste with batteries into a separate container is to reduce fire hazard.

The Lifecycle of Miscellaneous Electronics

1. The waste arrives at the recycling facility in cages or containers, where it is weighed and registered.
2. All televisions and monitors require special handling. They are therefore dismantled and pretreated manually.
3. The contents are emptied onto a large conveyor belt for an initial manual coarse sorting. Hazardous waste and batteries are removed and handled separately, while circuit boards and other components containing rare metals are thoroughly sorted out for specific recycling.
4. The remaining waste is sorted by material type. It is then crushed and shredded so that different metals and plastics can be separated before being sent on for recycling.