Monitor recycling
Whale Recycling collects written-off monitors and screens, assesses them for reuse first and then arranges certified processing, including batches with no residual value.
Monitor recycling for businesses is something we handle from collection through to reporting. Your old screens are assessed for reuse first, and whatever is no longer usable goes into certified recycling. Screens tend to sit around for years: they are heavy, fragile and worth very little. That is exactly why they end up with parties that only take the sellable material, or in a container heading abroad. We collect the entire batch, including the screens with no residual value.
What is monitor recycling and when should you call us?
Monitor recycling is the collection, inspection and processing of written-off screens, with reuse taking priority over material recovery. Plenty of people assume recycling is the same as destruction. It is not. We first check whether a monitor can handle a second life, following the waste hierarchy known in the Netherlands as Lansink’s Ladder. If that is no longer an option, we recover the raw materials.
Most requests come at a fixed moment: you are replacing workstations, moving to another building, clearing out a server room or taking back home-working equipment. If there are computers, laptops or servers in the batch too, we handle it in a single appointment as part of our IT recycling.
Why monitors need a separate processing route
A screen is not just a box of metal and plastic. Depending on the technology, it contains lead-bearing glass or mercury in the backlight. Screens break easily, and that is precisely when those substances are released. With monitor recycling, the type of screen therefore determines the route:
- CRT monitors: heavy, lead-bearing glass, specialist processing
- Older LCD and TFT screens: possible mercury-containing backlights, which are removed separately
- Modern LED screens: circuit boards, metals, plastics and display layers
- Working monitors: assessed for reuse and residual value first
- Faulty monitors: safe processing and maximum material recovery
Working out which screen goes where is not your job, we take care of that.
Which screens we collect, including batches with no residual value
Business screens are welcome: monitors, all-in-ones, touchscreens and displays, working or faulty, sorted or all mixed up. That includes the batches that are worth very little, because the sellable material gets bought up everywhere and the rest stays in the cupboard.
Are the monitors sitting among other e-waste? We collect free of charge from 200 kg anywhere in the Netherlands. Monitors and printers do not count towards that weight, so you reach the 200 kg with your computers, laptops, servers and so on. In practice that usually works in your favour, since there are normally a few screens among the rest of the equipment. If you only have monitors, we look at the quantity and the transport costs. You get a price indication up front: working screens can have residual value, while faulty ones leave you with the material value.
Would you rather drop off your old screens yourself? With us it always goes through collection on site. For handing in an old monitor we refer you to our sister company Krommenhoek Metals, as we do for private individuals who want to get rid of a screen.
“Extending the lifespan of your old hardware is the most sustainable choice!”
How monitor recycling works at Whale Recycling
From request to certificate, monitor recycling with us runs in six steps:
1. Free valuation
We carry out a free valuation based on the information you supply. Send us a list or a description with a few photos. Feel free to use our inventory template.
2. Collection appointment
If our offer suits you, we make an appointment to collect the old hardware. We bring everything needed to pack the equipment safely.
3. Inspection
Every screen is registered and assessed for reuse.
4. Dismantling
By hand, with the hazardous components removed first.
5. Prompt payment
We send a purchase invoice setting out exactly what was agreed. The amount on that invoice is transferred shortly afterwards.
6. Reporting
You receive the proof of processing and, where there is residual value, our purchase invoice.
Certified recycling of old screens by Whale IT Recycling
Certified monitor recycling means something concrete here: your screens travel through traceable streams, not by way of a detour abroad. Whale Recycling is WEEELABEX-certified, works to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 and is registered in the Dutch VIHB register under number 542205VIHB for the transport of waste. After processing you receive a certificate of responsible processing, suitable for your CSR, ESG and CSRD reporting.
A monitor is not a data carrier, by the way, so it rarely poses a privacy risk. If you also send along computers, laptops or loose hard drives, certified data destruction is part of the processing, complete with a destruction declaration and serial numbers. How that works is set out on our page about computer recycling.
Social impact
Alongside our technical expertise, we stand out through social engagement. We work together with people who face barriers to employment, giving them an opportunity to take part in society. That approach gives screens and materials a second life while also opening up new chances on the labour market.
Recycling your screens with Whale Recycling gives your organisation a complete, safe and sustainable solution. From a handful of workstations to a full office clearance, we take care of professional processing in which responsible handling and environmental impact come first. Organisations can also choose to donate part of the proceeds to the Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam, contributing directly to the development of health technologies and to making the hospital more child-friendly.