What Recupel does

Recupel VZW (vereniging zonder winstoogmerk) is the Belgian Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) mandated to manage the collection, treatment, and recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and spent lamps under Belgian and EU WEEE regulations. The organisation operates a nationwide compliance scheme: producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment placing products on the Belgian market are legally required to join Recupel, pay per-appliance contributions, and report volumes through an online declaration platform hosted at declarations.recupel.be.

Recupel's service portfolio centres on a physical collection infrastructure — Recupel Points at municipal recycling parks, electrical retailers, and supermarkets, complemented by pallet boxes and blue inner boxes for free drop-off — combined with a digital stack comprising a logistics extranet for transport requests (extranet.recupel.be), a member declaration system, a customer-facing chatbot, and a consumer repair-guide ("Herstelwijzer"). Recupel coordinates downstream processing through certified recyclers, with Umicore (Hoboken smelter) as the flagship metals-recovery partner delivering 99.99% copper recovery, 98.99% aluminium recovery, and recovery of 17 metals including seven precious metals; ~90% of materials in collected e-waste are ultimately recovered or reused. Through its network, approximately 160 million kg of e-waste is channelled to recycling annually, with collection routed to certified transporters typically within three working days.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through Recupel Contributions — statutory, recurring fees paid by member producers and importers per appliance placed on the Belgian market — which fund collection, logistics, treatment, and reuse activities. The customer base spans four primary stakeholder groups: (i) member producers/importers (mandatory compliance buyers), (ii) retailers and distributors (voluntary Recupel Point hosts, eligible for handling compensation), (iii) consumers and businesses depositing waste (free of charge), and (iv) downstream recyclers and transporters (contracted service providers). Geographic operations are confined to Belgium (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital), and the organisation is headquartered in Zaventem.

Name

Recupel

Legal name

Recupel VZW

Website

https://recupel.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Recupel VZW is Belgium's mandated Producer Responsibility Organisation managing the collection and recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), serving producers, importers, retailers, and consumers across Belgium through a regulated compliance scheme and nationwide physical collection network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Waste Recycling & WEEE Compliance Services

NAICS

Other Waste Collection (562119), Waste Collection (5621), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-waste Collection, Aggregation & Reverse Logistics (BPALAIAB), Recycling, E-Waste & End-of-Life Takeback Programs (TLAAALAN), Recycling & Materials Recovery Logistics (E-waste, Batteries, Metals, Plastics) (TLAIAHAD)

Keywords

• E-waste recycling
• WEEE compliance
• Electronic waste collection
• Producer responsibility
• Take-back program

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Recupel Contributions (Membership Fees): Producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment pay Recupel contributions based on the appliances they place on the Belgian market. This funds the collection, recycling, and processing of end-of-life electronics in accordance with Belgian and EU WEEE regulations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Recupel manages Belgium's collection, reuse, and recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) under extended producer responsibility regulations. It operates a network of free collection points at recycling parks, electrical retailers, and supermarkets, provides free workplace pick-up services for businesses, and runs an online member declaration and logistics platform for producers and importers of electrical equipment.

Product overview

Recupel is a Belgian non-profit organization (vzw/asbl) managing the collection and recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in Belgium. The organization operates a network of physical collection infrastructure (Recupel Points with blue bins, pallet boxes, and containers) placed at retailers, recycling parks, and businesses, combined with digital services including a website with collection point finder, member declaration application, logistics platform, and chatbot. Services include free pickup for businesses, repair guidance for consumers, and coordination with certified processors for material recovery including copper (99.99% recovery rate) and aluminium (98.99% recovery rate).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Member Declaration Application Online platform where Recupel members (producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment) declare appliances placed on the Belgian market and pay the corresponding Recupel contribution in compliance with Belgian and EU WEEE regulations.
• Logistics Platform Online extranet portal for collection points to register transport requests, schedule pickups of filled containers, manage addresses, and track collection status. Targets certified collection points and transporters across Belgium.
• Recupel Points Network Physical collection infrastructure (blue bins, pallet boxes, containers) placed at recycling parks, electrical retail stores, supermarkets, and other retailers across Belgium for free drop-off of small electrical appliances, light bulbs, and tube lamps by consumers.
• Pallet Box Collection Service Large collection containers (1m x 1.2m x 1.7m) provided free of charge to businesses and collection points for discarded electrical appliances, with free pickup arranged when the box reaches approximately 80% capacity.
• Workplace Pick-up Service Free one-off or recurring pick-up service for companies, institutions, organizations, and schools to have discarded electrical appliances and light bulbs collected directly from the workplace, with collection typically arranged within 3 working days.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.99% copper recovery rate from collected electrical appliances
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AB (Flemish Broadcasting Company) / Pommelien ThijsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership campaign with AB and artist Pommelien Thijs for e-waste collection awareness. The campaign collected 8,900 old mobile phones, demonstrating the effectiveness of celebrity partnerships in driving consumer participation.
• Comet (Biolix Project)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Comet, a Walloon company, partnered with the University of Liège to develop Biolix - a process to recover fine copper residues from cable plastic casings using microbiological and hydrometallurgical methods. This represents a world-first in recycling technology, achieving 70% energy savings compared to ore extraction. Production capacity is 750 tons of copper cathodes per year.
• UmicorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmicore is a key recycling partner for Recupel, specializing in the recovery of critical and strategic raw materials. At their Hoboken facility, Umicore processes several hundred thousand tons of material per year, recovering 17 metals including 7 precious metals (silver, gold, palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium) through smelting and refining processes. Umicore has developed highly efficient recycling processes that separate precious and non-precious metals for purification.
• BebatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBebat is Belgium's battery collection organization. Recupel collaborates with Bebat for proper disposal of batteries removed from electrical appliances. Consumers are directed to Bebat collection points for battery recycling separately from Recupel's e-waste collection.
• Kringloopwinkels (Second-hand Shops)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecond-hand shops and reuse centers partner with Recupel to accept still-functioning electrical appliances. These items are refurbished and sold at reduced prices, extending product life before recycling becomes necessary.
• OVAMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOVAM (Openbare Vlaamse Afvalstoffenmaatschappij) collaborates with Recupel on proper collection of air conditioning units and heat pumps according to legal requirements.
• Certified TransporterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCertified transport companies handle collection of filled receptacles from Recupel points. These logistics partners operate under contract to perform collections within 3 working days of request, providing free transportation services.

Scale indicators6 records

Direct peers

• Wecycle: Wecycle is the Netherlands' designated PRO for WEEE, operating an equivalent producer-funded collection and recycling system. It is the most direct cross-border functional equivalent to Recupel and serves as a natural comparison point for operating model and performance.
• Fost Plus: Fost Plus is Belgium's PRO for household packaging waste, sharing Recupel's VZW/asbl structure, member-funded contribution model, and oversight role under Belgian waste legislation. It is a direct analogue illustrating how Belgium's PRO ecosystem is organized.
• Eco-systèmes: Eco-systèmes is France's approved PRO for WEEE, managing producer-funded collection and recycling of household and professional electrical equipment. Comparable to Recupel in regulatory role, member contribution model, and integration with retail collection networks.
• El-Kretsen: El-Kretsen is Sweden's producer responsibility organization for WEEE, operating a member-funded collection, reuse, and recycling network. Highly comparable in regulatory mandate and operational model to Recupel at a national scale.
• Bebat: Bebat is Belgium's official Producer Responsibility Organization for batteries, operating under the same VZW/asbl legal structure and regulatory framework as Recupel. The two organizations coordinate directly on battery removal from e-waste, making Bebat the closest operational and structural peer in the Belgian market.
• Stichting OPEN: Stichting OPEN is the Netherlands' PRO for large and small electrical appliances and metal fittings, established more recently and managing the same appliance stream Recupel handles. Comparable in mandate, member-funded structure, and collection network model.
• Stiftung Elektro-Altgeräte Register (EAR): EAR is Germany's national WEEE registry that coordinates producer registration and collection infrastructure for electrical equipment. It shares Recupel's role as the centralized compliance hub under German WEEE law and serves as a large-market analogue.

Broad incumbents

• ERP (European Recycling Platform): ERP operates pan-European WEEE compliance services across multiple countries, competing with and complementing national PROs. It is a broader incumbent offering cross-border producer compliance that overlaps with Recupel's mandate for multinational producers operating in Belgium.

Regional players

• Valipac: Valipac is Belgium's PRO for industrial and commercial packaging waste, sharing Recupel's VZW/asbl structure, Belgian regulatory framework, and producer-funded contribution model. Comparable as a domestic peer in the Belgian PRO ecosystem rather than as a direct product competitor.

Emerging players

• Take-e-back: Take-e-back is a German WEEE compliance service provider offering producer registration, reporting, and take-back solutions. Comparable to Recupel as a compliance and collection services platform, though operating commercially rather than as a non-profit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Recupel_be
• Facebookfacebook.com/Recupelbe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Recupel