We often get questions about whether there is any recycling of electronics in Bulgaria, mainly of computers, printers, office telephones, CDs, etc. The main problem comes down to what to do with electronics which no longer work…We also didn’t have enough information about that so we decided to visit the main local electronics recycling company Ecologica
We were pleasantly surprised by the clean ambiance and the smiley workers despite the piles of disassembled computers, office telephones, cables and more. The unit was bright and spacious and the workers had only a pair of protective glasses on.
Ecologica’s founder, Daniel Kostov, explained us that recycling computers is a complicated process because of their many parts made of different materials. Due to that reason one needs to disassemble each computer and send the different parts to different processing units and factories. For example, the cables, CDs and plates have to be sent to Austria for additional processing and afterwards forwarded to Denmark where they are separated into raw materials such as copper, platinum and more.
What does Ecologica do then?
Their employees disassemble and treat each electronic device so that its parts are safe and ready to use again and again. The additional processing and breaking into raw materials is done abroad because we still don’t have the necessary equipment in Bulgaria. For that reason Ecologica is asking us to collect and store our electronic waste separately from the rest and keep it as clean as possible which minimises the treatment procedures.
What electronic waste does Ecologica collect?
Almost all types of office equipment such as phones, computers, printers, CDs, chairs and more. Ecologica separates the plastic from the chairs and sends it for recycling to a designated facility in Pazardzhik. The foam sadly goes to landfill and for that reason Ecologica recommends to buy only as many office chairs as you need and maintain them as well as possible.
And here are some positive statistics about how many electronic devices Ecologica has recycled so far:
How does the collection scheme work?
If you have just a few electronic devices that don’t work anymore you can bring them to Ecologica’s office yourself. For a larger amount you can submit a collection request and Ecologica will come to pick up the stuff. For a free collection use the code FREEWASTE 2019
We’d recommend you to get in touch with Ecologica first in order to discuss the best way of recycling your electronics. You can do that from HERE
What if there are some good to use after repair electronics amongst the collected piles?
Luckily Ecologica inspects each electronic device before recycling and if the workers find a device that can be repaired and re-used, the Ecologica staff members repair it and then donate it to people in need : )
What do you do with your old, damaged electronics? Let us know with a comment below.
That was all from us for now, we hope that you find the information useful and we’re wishing you a beautiful sunny day!
Vera and The Team of Revolucia