5.2.1 Recycling case: Coolrec

Summary

The video discusses Coolrec's role in recycling household and professional fridges, washing machines, and dishwashers. The company handles hazardous materials, extracting cooling agents like freon. Coolrec is transitioning towards a circular economy, focusing on material and parts harvesting, like extracting cast iron from washing machines for reuse by manufacturers such as Miele. The company is shifting from traditional recycling to supplying specific raw materials back to manufacturers, who aim to close the recycling loop by reusing these materials in new products. This reflects evolving industry trends in e-waste recycling.

Takeaways

• 🏭 Coolrec processes household and professional fridges, as well as large appliances like washing machines and dishwashers.
• 🛠️ The facility focuses on handling hazardous materials, such as removing cooling agents like freon.
• ♻️ Coolrec recycles materials like aluminum, copper, and plastic, with the latter being processed by a subsidiary in the Netherlands.
• 🔄 The company has been involved in recycling for 25 years and is transitioning into a circular economy model, where specific materials are extracted for manufacturers.
• 🏅 Coolrec successfully piloted a project with a major washing machine manufacturer, Miele, by supplying them with cast iron, a material Miele exclusively uses.
• 🏗️ Cast iron, often considered waste, can be reused for specific purposes like construction or as material for Miele's equipment.
• 💰 Despite being inexpensive, it is economically viable to sell cast iron parts to Miele by shortening the supply chain.
• 🔍 The company differentiates between material harvesting (like specific plastics) and parts harvesting (where parts are kept intact for reuse).
• 📈 The e-waste industry is evolving, with a focus on manufacturers taking responsibility for recycling their products and closing the loop in the supply chain.
• 🌱 Coolrec sees the future of recycling as more about supplying raw materials and reusing them in new products, with manufacturers showing excitement about this direction.

Q & A

What types of appliances are treated in this plant?

The plant treats household fridges, professional fridges, and large appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers.

How are hazardous materials from fridges handled at the plant?

The plant removes hazardous materials, such as cooling agents like freon, ensuring proper treatment and disposal.

What are the primary materials recovered from the appliances in the plant?

The primary materials recovered include aluminum, copper, and plastic. The plastic is further treated at a subsidiary in the Netherlands.

What does the circular economy mean for Coolrec?

Coolrec is focused on recycling secondary raw materials and also works towards the circular economy by extracting specific materials for customers and manufacturers.

What is Coolrec's collaboration with a washing machine manufacturer?

Coolrec has partnered with Miele, a washing machine manufacturer, to extract and supply specific materials like cast iron, which Miele uses in its products.

What is the significance of the cast iron material in the recycling process?

Cast iron, while considered waste by most, is extracted by Coolrec and sold to Miele for reuse in their washing machines. It is economically feasible because it shortens the supply chain.

What is the difference between material harvesting and parts harvesting?

Material harvesting involves extracting materials like plastic, while parts harvesting refers to removing parts intact without shredding them, to be reused as is.

How does the industry view the future of e-waste recycling?

The industry is moving towards a more responsible approach, where manufacturers are accountable for recycling the products they put on the market, aiming to close the loop by reusing materials.

Why are manufacturers interested in closing the loop in recycling?

Manufacturers want to take full responsibility for recycling their products, ensuring proper disposal and reuse of materials in their new products to meet sustainability goals.

How does Coolrec see the future of recycling evolving?

Coolrec believes that recycling will evolve from simply recovering materials to supplying raw materials for manufacturing, as the concept of recycling is continuously redefined.

Outlines

00:00

🏭 Fridge and Appliance Recycling Process

The plant processes both household and large professional fridges, as well as big white appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. The process involves removing hazardous materials, such as cooling agents like freon, and ensuring proper treatment. The products that leave the facility include valuable materials such as aluminum, copper, and plastic, which is treated at a subsidiary in the Netherlands.

🔄 Circular Economy at Coolrec

Coolrec has been involved in recycling for over 25 years and is increasingly moving towards a circular economy. Instead of only selling secondary raw materials, they now focus on extracting specific materials for specific customers. A key example is their pilot project with a major washing machine manufacturer, where they supply a special cast iron material used only in their machines.

🧱 Cast Iron as Waste or Valuable Resource?

Cast iron is generally considered waste, as it is difficult to reuse. However, Coolrec has found a way to extract it for specific uses, such as in construction, but more notably, for Miele, the only company that uses cast iron in their washing machines. By shortening the supply chain, Coolrec makes it economically feasible to sell these parts to Miele at competitive prices.

🛠️ Material vs. Parts Harvesting

Coolrec differentiates between material and parts harvesting. Material harvesting involves extracting specific materials, like plastic, while parts harvesting focuses on removing entire components intact. Instead of shredding them into small pieces, Coolrec supplies the parts as they are, which opens up new possibilities for reuse and recycling.

♻️ Future of E-Waste and Industry Development

The industry is moving towards a closed-loop system, particularly for e-waste. Manufacturers are increasingly responsible for ensuring that their products are recycled properly. Coolrec supports this trend by helping manufacturers reuse materials in their new products. Although the journey has just begun, manufacturers are enthusiastic about this approach, which signals a significant shift in how recycling and material reuse will evolve in the coming years.

🚀 Coolrec's Vision for the Future of Recycling

Coolrec foresees a transformation in the recycling industry. The company has already started working with manufacturers to reuse materials, and this process is expected to evolve over the next decade. While still called 'recycling,' the practice will increasingly focus on the supply of raw materials, offering a new perspective on what recycling means today.

Keywords

💡Circular Economy

The Circular Economy is an economic system aimed at minimizing waste and making the most of resources by keeping products, components, and materials in use for as long as possible. In the video, Coolrec highlights its shift from simple recycling to actively participating in the circular economy by not only selling raw materials but also supplying specific recycled materials for manufacturers like Miele, showing how they 'close the loop.'

💡Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials refer to substances that pose risks to health, safety, or the environment if not properly managed. In the script, the Coolrec plant handles hazardous materials like cooling agents (such as freon), which are extracted from old appliances. Proper treatment of these materials is crucial for environmental protection and worker safety.

💡Freon

Freon is a brand name for a class of chemical compounds used primarily as refrigerants in cooling systems, including fridges. Freon is mentioned in the script as an older cooling agent that is still received by the plant. Its extraction and proper disposal are necessary due to its harmful effects on the ozone layer, highlighting the environmental focus of Coolrec's operations.

💡Material Harvesting

Material harvesting refers to the process of extracting valuable raw materials from end-of-life products. In the video, Coolrec differentiates between material harvesting, such as extracting specific plastics or metals, and parts harvesting. Material harvesting is crucial for the circular economy, enabling manufacturers to reuse these materials in new products.

💡Parts Harvesting

Parts harvesting involves removing functional components from end-of-life products in their entirety rather than shredding them into smaller pieces. The script emphasizes parts harvesting as a method for reusing entire parts of products, such as the cast iron from washing machines, which can be directly supplied to manufacturers like Miele.

💡Cast Iron

Cast iron is a strong, durable material used in various applications, including the counterweights of washing machines. The script discusses Coolrec's extraction of cast iron from washing machines, a material which is specifically reused by Miele. This highlights a form of 'parts harvesting' where specific components are reused in their entirety rather than being melted down or repurposed.

💡Recycling

Recycling refers to the process of converting waste into reusable material. While Coolrec has been involved in recycling for 25 years, the video suggests that the definition of recycling is evolving. Coolrec now focuses on supplying raw materials and even specific components back to manufacturers, which they see as an advanced form of recycling that fits into the circular economy.

💡E-waste

E-waste, or electronic waste, consists of discarded electronic appliances such as washing machines, fridges, and dishwashers. The video explains how Coolrec is developing methods to recycle e-waste more effectively by harvesting both materials and parts, ensuring that manufacturers take responsibility for the full lifecycle of their products.

💡Raw Materials

Raw materials are the basic substances from which products are made. Coolrec extracts raw materials like aluminum, copper, and plastic from appliances during the recycling process. The company's role in the circular economy involves not just selling these raw materials but also ensuring they are reused in new manufacturing processes, contributing to sustainability.

💡Supply Chain

A supply chain refers to the entire process of producing and distributing a product, from raw materials to the final consumer. The video mentions how Coolrec shortens the supply chain by directly providing recycled materials like cast iron to manufacturers, bypassing the need for new material sourcing. This efficiency aligns with circular economy principles by reducing costs and environmental impact.

Highlights

The plant treats both household and professional fridges, along with washing machines and dishwashers.

Hazardous materials like cooling agents, including freon, are safely removed during the recycling process.

The facility processes materials like aluminum, copper, and plastic, with plastic being treated at a subsidiary in the Netherlands.

Coolrec has been active in the recycling industry for 25 years, focusing more on the circular economy recently.

Coolrec not only sells secondary raw materials but also provides specific materials, like cast iron, to manufacturers.

Coolrec completed a pilot project supplying cast iron specifically to Miele, a washing machine manufacturer.

Cast iron, though considered waste, is still extracted and reused in specific applications such as construction or for Miele's washing machines.

Though cast iron parts are inexpensive, Coolrec finds it economically feasible to supply them by shortening the supply chain.

Coolrec differentiates between material harvesting (e.g., extracting specific materials like plastic) and parts harvesting (retrieving whole parts without shredding).

E-waste management is particularly important as manufacturers bear the responsibility for recycling and closing the loop on products they bring to market.

Manufacturers are motivated to close the recycling loop by reusing materials in their end products.

Coolrec has begun supplying manufacturers with materials to help them achieve their goal of incorporating recycled materials into new products.

Recycling has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, and Coolrec predicts even more changes in the next decade.

Coolrec is shifting from just recycling to becoming more involved in the supply of raw materials for manufacturers.

The concept of recycling is evolving, with a focus on circular economy practices and long-term sustainability.

Transcripts

- In this plant we are treating fridges, let’s say household fridges, but also the big professionals.

We also treat big white, we call it, washing machines, dishwashers.

And we do it, basically, all here.

So we receive them here, we take care of these, let’s say, hazardous materials, we suck

out the cooling agents, which in the past was freon.

Still some freon materials are received.

We take care of the proper treatment of these materials.

And, basically, the products that leave this facility are aluminium, which we can sell,

copper, plastic, and the plastic is treated at one of our subsidiaries somewhere in The

Netherlands.

- So what does the Circular Economy really mean for Coolrec?

- Coolrec is very active, since 25 years already, in the recycling activity.

We tend more and more into the real circular economy where we not only sell the secondary

raw materials but also take out specific materials for a specific customer or manufacturer.

And I’m very proud of our pilot we did and the approval we got from one of the big manufacturers

of washing machines,

to supply them the special material that they are only using in their equipment. And that’s

cast iron.

Bascially this is concrete. And when you talk about waste: this is waste.

- You can’t do anything with it.

Yeah, If we take it out separately. But then it’s for construction works, and you can’t reuse.

Miele is the only one who uses cast iron. And that part we take out.

- These cast iron parts, they’re cheap.

And yet it is economically feasible to sell them to Miele?

- Yeah, we have some additional to get them out.

But we shorten the supply chain. We can do it for more or less the same price.

And sometimes, in other cases, it is also possible to make it cheaper.

- Can I eh… Oh, that’s eh.. that’s really heavy. So that is parts harvesting?

- Well it’s, maybe I should clarify.

Material harvesting and parts harvesting.

Material is simply, let’s say, the plastic for example. In this case it’s a very specific

material we take out.

And parts is really, take out the part and leave it as it is, so not shredded and make

small pieces, but leave it as it is and supply back.

- Is that where you see the industry developing?

- Yeah, especially for the e-waste.

Because, first of all, it’s the responsibility of the manufacturer, who puts a new product

on the market to take care of the recycling.

And I want to close the loop, and also the manufacturer wants to close the loop because

then they take the full responsibility of putting new on the market and get that recycled

in a proper way.

And also get the materials reused.

Because they have, in their ambition, as well, the reuse of material in their end products.

- And you can supply that?

- We started it.

It’s I think some years to go.

But we started and the manufacturers are really very excited and open about it.

I think recycling is, was 20 years different than today and it will be in ten years.

And we tend more and more into the supply of raw materials.

It’s still called recycling but I think that’s a maybe different view on the term,

the term recycling.