Ceced: a new study on the Weee recycling

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17 ottobre 2014Ceced, in collaboration with the University of Leoben (Austria), has published the results of an own-initiative study, carried out in 2013-2014, about how the new technology of vacuum insulation panels, that is used in high energy efficiency cooling and freezing appliances, influences recycling processes. The purpose of the study is to contribute and support best management practices for the recycling of waste of products at their end of life and to provide information to waste managers according to the Weee Directive 2012/19/EU. The use of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) in cooling and freezing (C&F) appliances has gradually increased since 2010 due to their better insulation performance compared with PU-foam. VIPs can be found in new C&F appliances of energy class A++ and A+++. Currently low quantities of these types of C&F appliances are arriving at recycling plants, however as production is increasing, it is expected that this amount will increase in the coming years. So Ceced wanted to ensure that VIPs do not influence the recycling process from the perspectives of environment (are recycling and recovery rates affected by VIPs? Will it be possible to meet the future targets established by EU legislation?); resource efficiency (do VIPs affect the quality and quantity of secondary raw materials obtained in the recycling process?); health and safety (analysis of health and safety risks due to hazardous substances and materials based on Material Safety Data Sheets of VIPs). All the conclusions are published on Ceced website (www.ceced.eu).