Behind the scenes
Fighting the winter blues with 10,000 lux
by Alex Hämmerli
Visiting Switzerland’s largest electronic waste recycling facility
29/4/2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
What happens to the e-waste that customers send back to Digitec Galaxus? At Immark’s recycling plant in Regensdorf, 150 employees transform 200 tonnes of old devices into valuable raw materials such as steel, copper and aluminium every day.
The air’s filled with the rumble of heavy machinery – excavators and massive conveyor belts. Piled up in front of me are hundreds of pallets containing electronic waste. I watch a backhoe dump its load onto a conveyor belt. Somewhere among the detritus, I spot the casing of an old CRT monitor. The bright orange of the workers’ uniforms contrasts sharply with the facility’s industrial grey. Around 200 tonnes of electronic waste are brought to Immark’s recycling plant in Regensdorf, near Zurich, every single day – a weight equivalent to about 130 mid-size cars. Working across two shifts, 150 employees extract raw materials from the e-waste. The plant’s equivalent to the size of four football pitches – 30,000 square metres, to be precise.
Source: Manuel Wenk
Cents that make a difference
For this recycling process to happen, money’s required. And some of that cash comes from retailers, including Digitec and Galaxus. For every electrical device a retailer sells, a contribution’s made to the non-profit organisation SENS, which coordinates recycling in Switzerland. The contribution varies depending on the type of device, ranging from a few cents to several francs. These financial contributions fund the 60 to 70 trucks that transport materials from recycling points to Regensdorf every day. Not to mention the massive recycling plant and the salaries of the workers who break down old devices into their individual parts.
The curious thing about this system is that in Switzerland, it’s voluntary. «All partners make their contributions in the spirit of solidarity,» says Pasqual Zopp, Managing Director of SENS. This solidarity, however, has its limits. Foreign online retailers such as Shein, AliExpress and Temu don’t contribute to waste disposal costs. Some Swiss retailers dodge the contributions too. The only retailers who bear the costs of recycling are ones who participate in it.
Source: Manuel Wenk
Where tube radios meet smart rings
During the tour, I come across a container full of ancient tube radios (article in German). Devices from an era before recycling was even a thing. Some of these radios have capacitors containing PCB, a toxic substance that’s been banned for a long time (page in German). Right next to them, I see smart rings and electronic greeting cards. Since so few people consider these tiny devices to be electronic waste, their batteries can cause fires in conventional rubbish incinerators, bin lorries or during cardboard waste pickup (page in German).
«Products are getting smaller and contaminants are becoming harder to remove,» says Sabine Krattiger, Immark’s Co-Managing Director. She has three decades of experience in the recycling industry. Krattiger explains: «In the past, there were clear categories: vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, TVs. These days, practically everything’s battery-powered, miniature and multifunctional. Even electric toothbrushes have become small, high-tech devices that need to be painstakingly disassembled.»
Source: Manuel Wenk
Humans and machines work together
Each device requires some intricate work before it can go into the shredder. Around 600 people work in 26 dismantling facilities for Immark across Switzerland, many of them in protected jobs in the secondary labour market. They separate components and sort them. «We try to integrate people into the regular workforce as closely as possible,» says Krattiger. The repetitive work provides training and structure.
Source: Manuel Wenk
However, the sheer variety of recycled products means manual sorting can only go so far. That’s why Immark’s testing an AI system developed by SENS: SENS AI. Here’s how it works: cameras detect within a fraction of a second whether a toothbrush, drill or TV is on the conveyor belt, then automatically direct the item to the correct belt. «SENS AI could potentially help recycling facilities or collection points with sorting,» Zopp says. The system’s still being tested. At the moment, Zopp continues, the main focus is on gaining experience and determining which electrical devices are being returned and in what quantities.
Trash-worthy product design
However, there’s one problem that neither humans nor machines can solve. Many manufacturers don’t consider the end of a product’s life cycle during the design phase. Batteries are permanently glued in place, casing is welded shut and components are fused together permanently. «SENS is trying to raise manufacturers’ awareness of this so that they give more consideration to the end of a product’s lifecycle during development,» Zopp says.
Source: Manuel Wenk
New legislation offers some hope. In 2027, the EU’s set to introduce a digital battery passport providing information about what batteries contain. This will allow recycling facilities to plan more effectively. Krattiger isn’t quite as optimistic: «The benefit of the battery passport is more closely linked to repairability than the recycling process.» In addition to this legislation, the EU’s adopted the right to repair, making it possible to extend devices’ lifespans.
From old devices to raw materials
At the end of the process, the materials are neatly separated into, for example, iron, aluminium, copper or plastic. About 95 per cent of this material is recycled. A large portion of the iron extracted from the process goes straight to Gerlafingen steelworks. «There, CRT monitor casings are turned into steel beams for Swiss houses or railways tracks,» says Krattiger. Copper’s recovered from old printed circuit boards and other sources at specialised smelters in neighbouring countries (page in German). Plastics are recycled too, giving them a second life.
Source: Manuel Wenk
Immark demonstrates that e-waste recycling isn’t just a question of waste management. Rather, it’s a real-life demonstration of the circular economy and a highly complex raw materials industry. That old toaster gathering dust in your basement? It’s not junk – it’s a soon-to-be steel beam.
Header image: Manuel Wenk
Manuel Wenk
Communications Manager
Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.chAs a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
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