Coolrec: recovering cast iron from washing machines

Cast iron
Type of organisation or company
Country
Netherlands
Language for original content
Project elaborated in partnership
Yes
Submitted by
Technopolis Group
Start/End date
Ongoing
Yes
Description

Coolrec is putting the circular economy into action.

Like many recycling companies, Coolrec is changing its focus to raw materials supply. It is active in the electronics goods recycling sector, and extracts cast iron counterweights from old Miele washing machines to be returned to the factory for recycling. There, the cast iron is melted down and new weights are made.

Miele washing machines are dismantled on a specially equipped processing line at the Coolrec plant in the Dutch city of Dordrecht, and the material is sent to the Miele foundry at the Gütersloh site in Germany. There, it is used to manufacture new parts such as brackets and counterweights. The major advantage of this is that the origin and composition of the metal are known.

 

 

Main activity field
Main results
  • Inclusion of parts of washing machines in the circular economy
  • Helping reduce waste of important raw materials.