APPLIANCES RECYCLING S.A. is an official take-back system for the Management of the Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in Greece. (Decision No 105134/10.06.2004 of the Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works–Greek Government Gazette Issue 905Β/17.06.2004 and current approval by the Hellenic Recycling Organization ΑΔΑ: 457Ξ46Ψ8ΟΖ-ΚΨ4)

The company functions on a non-investment and non-profit basis. It has an organizational and functional character. The company's financial resources come from the legally required financial contributions of the registered companies that manufacture, import or resell electrical and electronic equipment. Companies that are registered with APPLIANCES RECYCLING S.A. benefit from their exemption from their obligations regarding the management of WEEEAppliances. Recycling S.A. coordinates all the stages of WEEE management, which include collection, transportation, temporary storage, separation and treatment of WEEE or/and their components leading ultimately to the removal of environmentally harmful substances and the reuse of recoverable materials as raw material in the production of new products.

APPLIANCES RECYCLING S.A. aims at the achievement of the National targets, as these are set by the European Union and the Greek legislation, as well as the effective control of the cost of WEEE management.

The household collection is partly realized with the collaboration of municipal authorities, which, following their registration with the take-back system, develop designated collection points. Moreover, APPLIANCES RECYCLING S.A. is collaborating with all large retail chains selling electric and electronic appliances, large super market chains, as well as various other stores nationally. A large part of the collection comes from scrap dealers, who are recipients of the peddlers' collection.

The WEEE treatment takes place in 8 WEEE treatment facilities in Greece, working under contract with APPLIANCES RECYCLING S.A. and in a treatment facility abroad specialized in fluorescent lamp treatment. At the treatment facilities, the key stages followed are: reception and weighing of cargo, unloading of WEEE from trucks, sorting of WEEE depending on the type of appliance, temporary storage on the premises of the plant, dismantling and recovery of WEEE components containing hazardous substances, mechanical processing of WEEE, recovery of treatment fractions, storage of hazardous substances and their further management by licensed companies.

Contact Details

  • Haris Angelakopoulos
  • Technical/ Environmental Manager
Appliances Recycling SA