2024-10-19 09:00:00
On one side Abbott, an American medical device giant, on the other TND, a company with four employees. And in the middle a recycling sector described as unique in France in the field of recycling medical waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
In its small factory in Quesnoy-sur-Deûle (North), thirty minutes from Lille, Terra Nova Développement (TND) has been recycling used glucose sensors from Abbott’s diabetic patients since 2022.
More than 3 million of these devices for continuously measuring sugar levels in the body have been processed since the start of the project, which required an investment of 1.5 million euros. No bigger than a two-euro coin, this waste is too small to be handled by existing recycling organizations.
The heart of the project is to recover precious metals, such as copper, nickel, gold and even silver, through grinding, smelting and then electrolysis processes. THE “recovery rate is between 90% and 98%», Says Michel Trabuc, the founder and president of TND. Separated at the start of the line, after crushing, the plastic parts are sent to external recyclers. As the project continues to grow with Abbott’s sensors, the company is seeking new developments in medical WEEE recycling, particularly in the area of pacemakers.
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