Please note: Farnell has unfortunately discontinued their recycling services a few years ago and we currently do not have any alternatives. We regret this service is not available anymore.
There is a lot of waste generated in electronics manufacturing due to the millions of electronic components produced and sent out around the world each year. Beyond the raw materials used to produce the electronics themselves (which are typically fossil-fuel in origin or contain rare earth metals), each component has to be shipped from A to B. Shipping requires cardboard packaging to protect it during transport. This is the first kind of waste. SMT components themselves are placed on plastic reels or trays to be used in production. After the components are assembled, these empty plastic trays and reels are usually thrown away. This is yet another form of waste in the electronics supply chain.
As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, we are always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, and plastic waste is a big contributor to our environmental impact. In 2017, we began participating in Farnell's reel and tray recycling program. Farnell, a member of the Avnet group and one of our preferred suppliers for rapid prototyping of PCBA, gathers old SMT reels and trays from some 250 companies across Europe. Farnell accepts all 17.5 cm reels for recycling, regardless of where they were purchased.
These old reels and trays are then sent to a sheltered workshop, where workers with disabilities remove labels and clean the packaging for reuse. These "refurbished" reels and trays can then be reused to package new electronic components, thus cutting down on packaging waste.
The benefits of participating in Farnell's recycling program are twofold. It does not just reduce our plastic waste and reduce our environmental impact: it also serves a good social cause by providing meaningful and steady employment for disabled individuals.
Farnell's reel recycling program is free: there is a quick and easy online signup, after which Farnell sends postage-paid cardboard boxes to collect the empty SMT reels and trays. When the boxes are full, just give Farnell a call to arrange for pickup.
We value Farnell’s initiative to help reduce plastic waste in the electronics industry and provide meaningful work to disabled members of our community. We appreciate the opportunity to aid in their efforts.