The appliance is still usable
If the appliance still works reasonably well, why not give it to someone who can still use it: an acquaintance, an association, a school or a youth movement?
Or give reusable appliances a second life via a re-use shop. After a touch-up, the appliance is sold at a reduced price. Most re-use shops provide a collection service for large appliances, like refrigerators or freezers.
More info on re-use shops? For shops in Flanders, surf to:
www.dekringwinkel.be or www.komosie.be/ / info@komosie.be
For shops in Wallonia or in Brussels, surf to the 'Ressources' network:
www.res-sources.be/ / info@res-sources.be
The appliance is no longer usable
Returning appliances to retail businesses
Legislation stipulates that every shop that ‘brings an electric/electronic appliance onto the Belgian market’ must also take care of the collection and processing of the discarded appliance. This is called the take-back obligation.
Therefore, simply take your discarded appliance to the shop where you are purchasing a similar new appliance. In this case, the shopkeeper is ‘obliged to accept the discarded appliances that customers bring back’.
For example, do you want to hand in an old freezer upon purchasing a new one? No problem. The brand or the place of purchase do not matter. Even when delivering a new appliance to your home, the shopkeeper is obliged to take your old appliance away free of charge.
Exception: autonomous smoke detectors are collected only via the container park
The Recycle Point
Small electro and/or bulbs can be discarded correctly and for free at certain stores in your area which dispose of a RecyclePoint. You don't have to buy a new appliance to discard your old ones. Discover here where you can discard your small electro and/or bulbs in your municipality.
The container park: that's how to sort
Make it easy for yourself and take the appliance to the container park in your area. In and around the ‘Recupel shed’, pallet boxes, barrels and containers are available for collecting waste. Your park keeper knows exactly where to put everything.
We sort into 6 fractions:
- Refrigerators and freezers that can contain Freon (CFCs) and other harmful gasses/oils. How do I dispose of these? As individual items.
- Other large household appliances (washing machine, dishwasher, airing cupboard, stove, ...). How do I dispose of these? As individual items in the shed or in a container.
- TV and computer screens. Only appliances containing a cathode-ray tube. Flat screens belong in the ‘Other appliances’ fraction. How do I dispose of these? In the ‘TVs and monitors’ pallet box.
- Other appliances (mobile phones, clothing irons, videos, lighting equipment, flat screens, ...) How do I dispose of these? In the ‘Other appliances’ pallet box.
- Corona discharge bulbs. So-called fluorescent tubes and low-energy light bulbs, in small quantities. How do I dispose of these? In a box for light bulbs.
- Smoke detectors* Smoke detectors (maximum 2). How do I dispose of these? In the black 'Smoke detectors’ barrel*, to be found with the Small Hazardous Waste.
* About Smoke Detectors: depending on their operation, these are ‘autonomous’ or ‘non-autonomous’. ‘Autonomous’ means that the smoke detector works independently, without being connected to a network, power station or emergency centre.
That’s how to sort waste!
To dispose of waste perfectly, the appliances should:
- belong in one of the fractions listed above;
- be complete – in other words, containing all essential components (e.g. the motor of a washing machine, the electronic parts of a computer);
- be stripped of all content that does not belong to the appliance itself: thus, without packaging, deep-frying oil /fat, vacuum cleaner bag, left-over food, ...
You cannot take certain medical appliances or laboratory equipment to the container park. Click here for more information about these items.
For the address of the container park closest to you, contact your local authority or intermunicipal company, or click here.