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How is e-waste treated?

In recent years, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment has become more and more at the center of concerns. Indeed, they are considered dangerous. Therefore, they are subject to strict legislation that regulates the treatment that must be granted to them. Do you have e-waste at home? Are you wondering how they should be treated? At Infos Liquidation, we show you how we do it.

Collection and sorting of electronic waste

The first step in the treatment of electronic waste is the collection associated with the sorting of these elements. It will be a question of setting aside all domestic or office equipment that uses electricity to operate. The majority (90%) of this waste comes from the IT sector. Thus, in the WEEE category, you will see:

  • Computers;
  • Mice;
  • Telephones;
  • Printers;
  • Keyboards;
  • Appliances;
  • Etc.

The environmental code makes each person responsible for the nature and quantity of waste they produce. The waste producer is obliged to take it back in order to treat it properly. Therefore, manufacturers of electronic devices are obliged to set up a mechanism for the recovery (collection) of WEEE generated by them.

There are several manufacturers that collect this e-waste from their customers for free. The latter are invited to return the WEEE to the suppliers. The hazardous nature of electronic waste is so high that it bears the inscription of the crossed out bin. This means that you should not throw your computer in the trash.

In a context where the manufacturer does not offer a solution for collecting and sorting the WEEE it helps to produce, you must call on a specialized and approved company. If you live in Montreal and its outskirts, Infos Liquidation is your best ally that will safely get rid of these end-of-life electrical and electronic products.

Depollution and shredding of WEEE

In an electronic waste, you will find a multitude of materials. These are glasses, ferrous metals, grinding residues, plastics, etc. The dominant are ferrous metals in a proportion of 48%.

Once our company Infos Liquidation has collected these items, it takes them to its processing site. Here we clean up all WEEE and then completely dismantle it with manual or mechanical means. Not all e-waste is cleaned up. Those that are, are said to be “specific” because of the toxic substances they contain. We get rid of all these substances in strict compliance with the standards.

The treatment of specific e-waste is done in isolation from others. Among the substances we get from it, there are mercury, asbestos, oils, liquid crystals, polychlorinated biphenyl…

At Infos Liquidation, we deal particularly with rare earths. The fact is that they are of a very high value.

To complete this phase of processing, we destroy electronic equipment. Also called grinding, this operation offers the possibility of separating certain substances from recyclable elements.

Recovery of electronic waste

The final step in the treatment process, the recovery phase concerns only some of the WEEE that is in fact usable. Ferrous metals are conveyed by our company to foundries. They will be processed again to serve as raw material for the manufacture of other objects.

As for plastics, they are converted into another form for a new use. Glass residues from screen processing are used in the manufacture of backlight tubes. Computer recycling is an option of choice to protect the environment. By contributing to this process, you are helping to preserve the planet and its limited resources.

It is essential that e-waste follows this treatment process because of its particularly harmful nature for both humans and the environment.

Since the regulations relating to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment are strict, you must call Infos Liquidation. The fact is that we are a competent and licensed company when it comes to the professional treatment of WEEE. Never throw your computer in the trash when it has permanently broken down or when it is at the end of its life.

Do you have a stock of defective batteries and don’t know what to do with them? Our company will be happy to come to your home or office in Montreal to pick them up.