Recycling is a very touchy subject in the production of stainless steel. In the electric arc furnace at Breitenfeld Edelstahl AG (the biggest in Austria), electricity is used to recycle scrap. A large part (up to 90%) of the raw material we use for the production are materials that are recycled. This makes topics like environment and sustainability very important for our production and in other areas of our company, as well. For this reason and because of our desire to strengthen cooperation projects with local companies in our region, we bring our IT hardware to re.use-electro.
pro mente steiermark (an organization offering psychosocial services located in Krieglach) repairs and recycles defective electrical equipment and thus makes and important contribution to the environment.
Defective electrical equipment is oftentimes disposed way too early – and in many cases not even properly. The recycling and repair workshop re.use-electro in Krieglach shows how to act in the environment’s best interest. The team repairs their customers’ defective appliances that are supposedly ready for the scrap heap. After a safety and functional test, customers of re.use-electro are happy about their repaired electrical appliances and that they don’t have to replace them by purchasing new expensive devices.
The workshop also collects broken electrical appliances that their owner no longer has use for. The models are repaired and then offered to customers at fair prices in the sales area of the workshop. By doing so, the “new” old electrical appliances serve a purpose again, and the customers can use them knowing that they’ve acted in the environment’s interest and have extended the products’ life span.
But the workshop has not only dedicated itself to repairing washing machines, microwaves and dishwashers – they also collect electrical appliances that are no longer useful, disassemble the individual parts professionally and recycle them correctly and safely. This avoids causing damage to the environment.
What also makes the recycle and repair workshop special: As part of pro mente steiermark, re.use-electro trains and employs people with mental illnesses who want to get back to work. With the support of expert and social trainers and with a variety of activities, the participants develop new career and future perspectives. They acquire expert knowledge in all tasks related to electrical recycling and repair, which gives them important practical experience. Their own existing skills in similar fields of work – both professional qualifications and soft skills – are expanded increasingly, which prepares the participants for working life and also enables them to continuously stabilize their health through regular, meaningful employment.
