THE RECYCLING PROCESS

Electronic recycling can be challenging as discarded electronics can be complex devices manufactured from varying proportions of glass, metals and plastics. These materials will need to be separated into clean streams before they can be recycled.

With Sims extensive global reach and experience in recycling, this has enable us to develop innovative technologies that can separate and track all liberated materials in an effective manner, helping reduce e-waste from landfill.

Sims Lifecycle Services is the prime service provider for EPSA. Watch to learn how e-waste collected through EPSA is recycled and diverted from landfill.

Step 1 - Receiving and Pre-Processing

We receive, weigh and sort the electronics in preparation for the recycling process.

Step 2 - Hazard Removal

The next step in electronic recycling is to ensure all hazardous materials are removed from the stream before shredding. This will include batteries, toner cartridges, mercury bulbs found in some printers, cathode ray tube which contain lead and found in your older style televisions and monitors. These hazardous materials will be disposed in a compliant and environmental sound manner.

Step 3 – Initial Shredding

Our facility in Villawood NSW is equipped with a specialized industrial shredders fitted with conveyors and sorting capabilities for e-waste. E-waste will be fed into the shredder through the conveyor to tear material into large 2” to 6” in pieces. This is the initial shredding to prepare the e-waste for the separation process to extract the plastic from steel, copper, aluminum, glass and other commodities from the e-waste stream.

Step 4 – Sorting Commodities

After the initial shredding the e-waste will continue down the conveyor and through a powerful overhead magnet that will push out the iron and steel. The remaining material will continue down the line and through eddy current which will help separate the aluminum, copper and circuit boards. The material will then be visually inspection and hand sorted for best quality.  Air jets will help push any metal remnants from the remaining plastics to help create as cleanest stream as possible.

Step 5 – Collection and Shipment of Separated Commodities

The separated commodities is collected in bulk a bags and sent to our downstream partner for further processing to convert back in raw useable material.