EXECUTIVE REPORT 2022 pt en
01
Collection, Reuse and Treatment

For 18 years, Electrão has been the most relevant waste management entity for electrical equipment and in wich producers and citizens trust the most.

In a sector where challenges and changes are constant, and increasingly demanding, we are proud of the effort made over these years to look for viable solutions that facilitate the correct recycling of waste for which we are responsible.

In addition to the environmental component, which is the basis of Electrão's activities, this year we focused even more on the social component, with campaigns such as “Todos por IPO” or “Movimento Faz pelo Planeta”. We raise awareness, collect, reuse, recycle and support different sectors of society.

In 2022, we increased by 40% the number of tons of electrical material collected compared to the previous year, mainly due to the investment we have made in the Electrão network, which already has 8,502 collection points.

The collection of equipment at the Electrão Network sites is organized in 3 typologies:

  • large electrical equipment
  • small electrical equipment
  • lamps

Considering this distribution, we collected, on average, the equivalent to

TONS OF LARGE EQUIPMENT
13 688
TONS OF LARGE EQUIPMENT
WHAT REPRESENTS
1 323
g/inhabitant
3
washing machine units / 100 inhabitants
TONS OF SMALL EQUIPMENT
9 929
TONS OF SMALL EQUIPMENT
WHAT REPRESENTS
960
g/inhabitant
38
units of dryers / 100 inhabitants
TONS OF LAMPS
315
TONS OF LAMPS
WHAT REPRESENTS
31
g/inhabitant
15
units of lamps / 100 inhabitants
Reuse

At Electrão, we believe that sustainability is made of reuse and circularity. We put in practice all the Rs before it gets to recycling. One way we do this is by repairing and reusing electrical equipment that can still have a second life.

576
Tons
557
g/per capita

Reuse at the service of social action

In 2022, Electrão and Entrajuda gave new life to 61 tons of used electrical equipment.   

This partnership, which has lasted for 17 years, allows promoting the reuse of this equipment, which is subject to simple repairs, and is then able to serve other families to whom it is donated. 

Entrajuda supports solidarity institutions in the fight against poverty and, besides the donated food bank, it has a bank for donated non-food goods, which includes this used electrical equipment. 

By promoting reuse Electrão and Entrejuda are helping to extend the life of used electrical equipment, maximize material and financial resources, and avoid the extraction of more virgin raw materials by putting into motion the Circular Economy. At the same time they make this support possible for families all over the country with lower financial resources that cannot afford to buy new equipment.

Treatment and Recycling

The 23 931 tons of waste that we collected in 2022, were all sent to units that ensure the proper treatment and recycling, through depollution operations - removal of hazardous components, dismantling - recovery of materials for recycling, and other operations that also enhance the recycling and recovery of materials. 

Considering the recovery of materials that were later sent for recycling and the materials that were subject to other recovery operations, e.g. energy recovery, the recycling and recovery rate (including recycling and energy recovery) were on average.

78%
RECYCLING RATE
84%
RECOVERY RATE
Recycling and Recovery Rates
BY CATEGORY OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
81%
Recycling rate
87%
Valorization rate
Category 1
TEMPERATURE EXCHANGE EQUIPMENT
56%
Recycling rate
61%
Valorization rate
Category 2
SCREENS AND MONITORS
87%
Recycling rate
89%
Valorization rate
Category 3
LAMPS
85%
Recycling rate
92%
Valorization rate
Category 4
LARGE EQUIPMENT
81%
Recycling rate
91%
Valorization rate
Category 5
SMALL EQUIPMENT
77%
Recycling rate
84%
Valorization rate
Category 6
IT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT

REMOVAL OF DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES
AND RECYCLING OF MATERIALS

The electrical equipment treatment process begins with depollution, with the carrying out of operations that allow to remove the dangerous substances that are in its constitution. These operations are carried out in order to guarantee the removal of all substances/fractions of mandatory removal, complying with all safety standards in order to minimize the impact on the environment.
Of the total electrical equipment treated, 1500 tons of dangerous substances were removed.

The treatment of used electrical equipment enables the recovery of materials that can be recycled and used as raw materials. The main materials include metals, plastic and glass, but some of the mandatory removal substances can also be recycled.

RESULTS OF MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR RECYCLING
8 502
Collection locations
Fire Stations
Fire Stations
Firefighters play a decisive role in society but also in protecting the environment. They are part of the Electrão network as collection point, in the context of the Quartel Electrão campaign and are among the reference partners for promoting awareness and separation and correct disposal of waste among the population.
Schools
Schools
Raising awareness among young people and promoting environmentally sustainable behavior among them has been one of the main vectors promoted by Electrão. For this reason, schools are part of the collection network, offering the entire school community a proximity service for waste delivery.
Companies
Companies
Electrão network offers companies a free collection service for the collection of waste they produced, but also for the waste of its employees. The hundreds of companies that are part of the network have access to a differentiated service, and can also contribute to social actions and campaigns promoted by Electrão.
Distribution
Distribution
When we purchase new equipment, we have the option of handing over our used equipment to the seller in exchange for the new one. This waste is delivered to Electrão by the Distributors that are part of the Electrão network and that contribute to the purposes of the waste management system.
Urban Waste Management Systems
Urban Waste Management Systems
Urban Waste Management Systems are structural agents in the development of the national waste management system. They are partners of Electrão network for the reception of waste and play a key role in connecting with the consumer/public in general and in a proximity service for the collection of waste.
Reception Centers
Reception Centers
Waste management operators licensed to receive waste, are part of Electrão network. They promote the delivery of waste within the system on behalf of companies, industries, and the most diverse types of entities. In addition to being collection sites, these partners have another function, also playing the role of preparing waste for recycling.
Waste collection at the collection sites is provided by partners who forward the waste to the operational partners. With these collections, in 2022 we made a total of:
Nº OF COLLECTIONS (ALL CIRCUITS)
11.434
Nº OF COLLECTIONS (ALL CIRCUITS)
Nº OF COLLECTIONS ELECTRÃO NETWORK
6768
Nº OF COLLECTIONS ELECTRÃO NETWORK
AVERAGE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT PER COLLECTION
1.5
AVERAGE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT PER COLLECTION
New Door-to-Door Collection Channel
New Door-to-Door Collection Channel

In 2022, Electrão collected 66 tons of household appliances as part of Porta-a-Porta, a pioneering project that started in Lisbon and is being extended to other locations. Porta-a-door consists in collecting, at home and free of charge, used bulky electrical equipment, to which small appliances and batteries can be added. This project helps to increase the recycling levels of various types of equipment, curbs the tendency to accumulate, combats the parallel market, and ensures the protection of human health and the environment.

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