That device in your drawer? Someone else could really use it.

It’s sitting in a kitchen drawer, or in the back of a closet, or in a box somewhere labelled “old stuff.” A phone you upgraded from two years ago. A laptop that got replaced when working from home became permanent. A tablet the kids used until they didn’t.

You haven’t thrown it away because it feels wrong to throw it away. You haven’t sold it because the effort of listing it, packaging it, and waiting for a buyer feels like too much. So it sits.

Here’s the thing: that device still works for someone. A family that can’t afford a new smartphone. A student who needs a basic laptop for school. A person who just needs something functional, not something new.

We make the handover effortless. You fill in a short form. We arrange a free pickup at your door anywhere in Brussels or the surrounding municipalities. The device gets assessed, cleaned, and passed on to where it’s most needed. If it’s truly beyond use, it gets properly recycled, not dumped.

Electronic waste — e-waste — is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream. In 2022, the world generated 53.6 million metric tonnes of it. Less than a quarter was formally recycled. The rest ended up in landfill, incineration, or informal processing, often in countries far from where the original device was bought.

The problem isn’t just where devices end up. It’s what goes into making them in the first place. A typical smartphone contains over 60 different elements from the periodic table like gold, cobalt, lithium, rare earth metals, most of which are mined under conditions that are environmentally destructive and, in many cases, deeply problematic from a human rights perspective.

When a device gets a second life (someone else uses it for 2-3 years) that entire manufacturing chain is avoided. One reused smartphone offsets the need to produce a new one. Multiply that across thousands of households in Brussels, and the numbers become meaningful.

Brussels has one of the most ambitious circular economy strategies in Europe. The Brussels Environment agency (Leefmilieu Brussel / Bruxelles Environnement) has set clear targets for electronic waste reduction and reuse by 2030. Handing in your device is a direct, tangible contribution to that goal — not a symbolic one.

We believe you have the right to know what happens after pickup. Here’s the process:

You don’t need to decide in advance whether your device is worth anything. That’s our job to assess. We accept:

Smartphones and mobile phones Any brand — iPhone, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Nokia, and others. Working, broken, cracked screen, dead battery — all accepted. Even very old models have value as spare parts if nothing else.

Laptops and notebooks MacBooks, Windows laptops, Chromebooks. Working or not. If a laptop turns on and runs, it can almost certainly be reused by someone.

Tablets iPads, Android tablets, e-readers. We particularly value tablets in reasonable condition as they’re frequently requested by schools and community centres.

Other devices Desktop computers, monitors, keyboards, mice, headphones, game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and older), and smart home devices. If you’re unsure whether we accept something, mention it in the form and we’ll let you know.

What we don’t accept: Large household appliances (washing machines, fridges, ovens) these require a different collection stream. For these, contact your local commune or Recupel.

We collect anywhere in the Brussels-Capital Region and the municipalities directly bordering it. If you’re based in one of the areas below, we come to you.

Brussels-Capital Region (all 19 communes): Anderlecht · Auderghem · Berchem-Sainte-Agathe · Brussels-City · Etterbeek · Evere · Forest · Ganshoren · Ixelles · Jette · Koekelberg · Molenbeek-Saint-Jean · Saint-Gilles · Saint-Josse-ten-Noode · Schaerbeek · Uccle · Watermael-Boitsfort · Woluwe-Saint-Lambert · Woluwe-Saint-Pierre

Surrounding areas: Vilvoorde · Zaventem · Machelen · Grimbergen · Dilbeek · Halle · Braine-l’Alleud · Waterloo · La Hulpe · Overijse · Tervuren · Wezembeek-Oppem

Not sure if we collect in your area? Fill in the form anyway — if we can’t collect directly, we’ll tell you where the nearest drop-off point is.

Brussels generates approximately 15,000 tonnes of e-waste per year. A significant portion of that comes from household devices — phones, laptops, tablets — that still had usable life left in them.

The Brussels-Capital Region has committed to a circular economy transition by 2030, with electronics reuse as one of the priority areas. The European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan sets legally binding targets for e-waste collection and reuse rates across member states.

circular.brussels exists to make the individual contribution to that transition as simple as possible. Not a lecture. Not a guilt trip. Just a free pickup, a certified data wipe, and the knowledge that your device ends up somewhere useful.