ReUse: giving electrical devices a second life
Do old mobile phones and laptops always have to be recycled? Not necessarily. Through a pilot project, Swico is exploring which electrical appliances can be reused and how ReUse can contribute to the circular economy.
Swico reliably recycles electrical and electronic equipment such as tablets, smartphones and laptops. This recovers valuable raw materials and returns them to the cycle. But not every ‘old’ device has reached the end of its life. Many devices still work or can be reused with relatively little effort.
This is where Swico’s ReUse pilot project comes in. Together with specialist sorting and repair companies, Swico is testing which devices are suitable for reuse and how the relevant processes can be organised efficiently.
ReUse and recycling share the same goal: keeping resources in the cycle for as long as possible. Where reuse is possible, ReUse extends a product’s lifespan. When reuse no longer makes sense, recycling recovers the raw materials it contains.
The pilot project is giving Swico valuable insights for advancing the circular economy in the electronics sector and showing the potential of reusing electrical appliances.
The data analysed so far shows that, of the more than 800 devices handed in and examined as part of the ReUse project, around 30 per cent can be reused.
ReUse project Q&A
Swico Recycling sees itself as a partner at the final stage in a device’s lifecycle. We collect devices that are obsolete or faulty, thereby making an important contribution to returning raw materials to the cycle.
The collected devices will show how the electronics cycle can be closed and whether this can form a viable business case, so that devices can be used for as long as possible.
Reuse significantly reduces the environmental footprint of electrical appliances. Every smartphone, laptop or tablet used again saves the raw materials, energy and emissions associated with manufacturing. In addition to conserving resources, systematic reuse can reduce waste volumes and ease the burden on existing disposal systems.
Reuse also creates social and economic value: refurbished devices can be resold at lower prices, giving people on tighter budgets access to them.
Data protection is a top priority in the Swico ReUse project. We recommend that consumers delete all their data from devices themselves by resetting them to factory settings. If any data remains, recycling companies will delete it in a further step.
Devices can still be handed in for recycling at all collection points, and this will not change. At the 15 pilot collection points, devices can also be placed in ReUse boxes for reuse. What enters the recycling stream stays in recycling; no devices are removed from it. Only devices placed in ReUse boxes may be reused. Recycling and ReUse remain separate channels.
Yes! Swico is looking for more collection points to actively support the ReUse project.
- Would you like your collection point to join the pilot as a partner?
- Interested in having a ReUse box at your collection point?
- Would you like to develop a ReUse concept or launch your own ReUse project at a collection point?
Get in touch! Together, we can lay the groundwork for giving more electrical appliances a second life.
- The pilot project has been running since late 2024.
- One of the first ReUse boxes is at the Josy site of Entsorgung und Recycling Zürich (ERZ) in the city of Zurich.
- The specially designed collection containers are now available at 15 collection points in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.
- Additional functional tests are currently being carried out with specialist partners. This will help build and optimise local ecosystems and further develop the process.
ReUse collection points
You can already return old devices to the Swico ReUse cycle at these locations:
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