Recycling of electric and electronic end-of-life devices: economical assessment study in Brussels, Belgium

The authors present in this paper the result of a study they conducted for the Brussels Institute for the Environment. The object of this study was to define the possible recycling options for discarded electrical and electronic devices in a city like Brussels. By studying the legal aspects but also the current situation in Brussels, they established the needs in terms of facilities and by visiting similar activities in Europe, they established the options that could present an economic, environmental and social interest. They developed an economic simulation package, in order to evaluate the costs and benefits of those possibilities. They finally proposed the amount for the recycling fees that should be integrated into the selling price of new products, allowing the recycling options to be economically viable