Collection and management of waste electronics and end-of-life batteries
Waste electronics and end-of-life batteries must be collected and managed with the purpose of recycling the materials contained in them. Batteries may not be landfilled or incinerated. The management of waste electronics and end-of-life batteries, therefore, may only take place at environmentally approved treatment plants, i.e. the treatment facilities must be approved under the requirements of the Danish Environmental Protection Act and the Statutory Order on Permits for Listed Activities and Installations.
The management of waste electronics is divided into two streams
Producer responsibility means that producers must make sure that waste electronics are collected from the municipal collection sites and subsequently managed in compliance with current rules. Producers have mainly chosen to solve this task by entering agreements with so-called collective schemes. collective schemes are in charge of contracting with waste carriers and recycling industries (operators) that carry out in a given period reverse logistics and treatment of waste electronics for the producers. Collective schemes and their operators are allocated with collection sites by DPA once a year. This allocation is geographically assigned.
Producer responsibility means that the producer is responsible for the establishment of systems for the take-back and management of their in-scope products in compliance with current rules. Producers may do this, among others, by cooperating with environmentally approved recycling industries. Producers may also transfer their obligations regarding collection and treatment of waste electronics to the receiving business. The producer responsibility by itself cannot be transferred. In this case, the latter must ensure correct management of the equipment at the end of its useful life.
The management of batteries is divided into two streams
Producer responsibility means that producers must make sure that batteries are collected from the municipal collection sites and subsequently managed in compliance with current rules. Producers have mainly chosen to solve this task by joining forces in so-called collective compliance schemes. Collective schemes are in charge of contracting with waste carriers and recycling industries (operators) that carry out in a given period reverse logistics and treatment of waste electronics for the producers. collective schemes and their operators are allocated with collection sites by DPA once a year. This allocation is geographically assigned.
Producer responsibility means that the producer is responsible for the establishment of systems for the take-back and management of their in-scope products in compliance with the Battery Order. Producers may do this, among others, by cooperating with environmentally approved recycling industries.
What is reprocessing and recycling?
Reprocessing and recycling of waste electronics, batteries, and accumulators cover several processes that may take place in Denmark or abroad.
Regarding waste electronics, the first manual dismantling and shredding will often take place in Denmark, while the actual recycling is ensured at a major facility abroad.
Shortcuts
Collective schemes
See list of collective schemes in Denmark
Allocation
See the distribution of producers’ pickup of waste electronics and portable batteries from the municipal collection sites
Waste handling industries
Read more about waste handling industries
Legislation relating to electronics
Read more about legislation concerning electrical and products
Legislation relating to batteries
Read more about legislation concerning producer responsibility for batteries