Elretur’s fleet grows: Expands historic container agreement
There was great excitement at the family-owned company NIPA on Funen when the non-profit organisation Elretur placed a historically large order for more than 400 containers last year. Now the agreement is being expanded further with more than 150 additional containers, which will help Elretur carry out an important reuse task, among other things.
Elretur and NIPA expand historic order.
(Photo: Elretur)
Elretur manages the so-called producer responsibility for Danish companies that produce, import or sell electronic products. This means, among other things, that Elretur helps companies collect their electronic products when they become waste and ensures that as much as possible is reused, recycled or disposed of in the most environmentally responsible way possible.
As part of this work, Elretur collects and manages around 80% of all the electronics that Danes hand in at recycling centres across the country. This is one of the tasks that the more than 500 new containers in total will help solve.
“The purchase of the new containers is a significant investment in our infrastructure, so we can continue to collect and manage electronic waste and ensure that as much as possible is reused or recycled,” says Elretur’s CEO, Morten Harboe-Jepsen.
Once again, the family-owned company NIPA from Funen is handling the order for the many containers. At the time, the agreement was a historic task for the small Funen-based company, and the expansion of the agreement has only added to the excitement.
“The original order for more than 400 containers was the largest ever for us. It is fantastic that a small company in Tommerup can compete with foreign container manufacturers, and I am naturally proud and honoured that Elretur has once again chosen us to deliver their new containers,” says Jesper Skytte, CEO of NIPA.
When Elretur’s new containers have collected the large quantities of electronic waste at recycling centres across the country, they are taken to Roskilde or Middelfart, where Elretur, in collaboration with Stena Recycling Group and HJHansen Recycling Group, has established two new reuse facilities designed to ensure that as many electronic products as possible are reused.
The potential for reusing electronics is significant.
In Denmark alone, more than 70,000 tonnes of washing machines, phones, computers and other types of electronic products were collected at recycling centres in 2022, and the two facilities are expected to lift 60,000 discarded electronic products out of the waste stream every year.
The two facilities receive around 100 containers a week filled with used electronics, which are sorted, selected for repair and put back on the market whenever possible.
“The new reuse facilities will carry out an important task and set new standards for the way we treat electronic products. With the reuse facilities, we are accelerating reuse. That is why it is essential that our infrastructure is in place, and the new containers will help us solve precisely that task,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen.
Morten Harboe-Jepsen (left) and Jesper Skytte (right) at the signing of the original agreement in front of one of the containers to be manufactured.
(Photo: Elretur)
The order consists of more than 500 36 m³ containers measuring 6.5 m x 2.55 m x 2.35 m (length x width x height), built for use at recycling centres.
The order amounts to a double-digit million figure.
Elretur is Denmark’s largest Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), with close to 20 years of experience in managing producer responsibility.
Elretur manages producer responsibility for electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) on behalf of more than 960 companies across a wide range of industries, including producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment and batteries in Denmark.
Elretur ensures responsible and cost-effective collection and management of the electronic waste delivered to recycling centres across the country. It does so to such an extent that Elretur recycles 84% of the products collected. This is above the EU average of 80%. The goal now is to take the next step and increase the reuse of products.
Elretur is part of Retur – a family currently consisting of four non-profit Producer Responsibility Organisations: Elretur, Batteriretur, Emballageretur and Tekstilretur, which manage producer responsibility for electronics, batteries, packaging and textile products for companies in Denmark.
Together, we work to increase reuse and recycling, so that as many valuable resources as possible are lifted out of the waste stream and returned to the loop – Retur to the future.
See more at www.elretur.dk and www.retur.dk.
NIPA ApS is a 100% Danish family-owned machine factory located in Tommerup on Funen, where the company was founded in 1986. Today, the company employs more than 25 people in production.
The company’s two main products are the production of containers and lighting masts.
NIPA produces all types and sizes of containers and sorting facilities for recycling. In addition, the company produces and markets a very broad range of lighting masts with a complete range of accessories, including mast arms, crossbars and mast foundations, etc.
NIPA also produces a range of custom special masts, such as city gate masts, decorative masts and traffic signal masts, among others.
See more at https://www.nipa.dk/.
Communications Manager Camilla Falkenberg
Mobile: +45 4314 0894
Email: cf@elretur.dk