The Danish project group recently visited the Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad, Sweden. The center is one of Europe’s leading recycling facilities, designed to handle even the most complex products in a safe and efficient way on an industrial scale. Stena Nordic Recycling Center began operations in 2016 and was established in Halmstad due to its easy access to road, rail, and sea transportation.
During the visit, the group explored two departments: (1) “Cools,” which handles refrigeration cycles including heat pumps and components from cooling appliances. (2) The electronics department, where all types of electronics are processed, including printed circuit boards (PCBs) and the fragmentation of wiring. These advanced processes enable the recovery of valuable materials, helping to reduce the need for new resources.
Each year, the Stena Nordic Recycling Center safely manages 500,000 tonnes of complex materials and contributes to a reduction of 870,000 tonnes of emissions. Since its opening, the recycling rate at the facility has increased by 30 percent, and the amount of waste sent to landfill has been halved. This demonstrates the center’s role in supporting a circular economy by providing a reliable supply of high-quality recycled raw materials for new production, reducing climate impact and supporting greater resource efficiency. Read more about Stena Nordic Recycling Center here.
The visit provided valuable insight into how circular economy solutions can be implemented in practice and supports the project’s aim to improve material efficiency throughout the entire lifecycle of domestic heat pumps.