From a family-run Danish workshop building scrap shears in 1956 to a global provider of sophisticated recycling systems, Eldan Recycling continues to shape the recycling landscape.
In an era defined by resource scarcity, ambitious circular economy mandates, and the pressure to deliver cleaner outputs, the foundation of a successful recycling operation rests entirely on its machinery.
Yet, few machinery providers can boast a history as long and as foundational as Eldan Recycling A/S. From its humble beginnings as a small Danish metalworking factory in 1956, the company has transformed into an enduring and innovative pioneer in mechanical recycling technology, now navigating modern demands with renewed technological momentum.
The story of Eldan is not just about producing equipment; it is about responding to crises, setting industry benchmarks, and proving that long-term vision trumps short-term fixes.
The company’s journey began with a practical necessity in 1956, producing heavy-duty scrap shears which laid a foundation of mechanical solutions that the company itself describes as “an enduring and innovative” hallmark of its identity.
Environmental regulations banning the open burning of scrap cables in the 1960s created a purity crisis for copper recovery. Eldan responded by creating its first cable strippers, allowing recyclers to safely and efficiently recover clean copper.
Eldan Recycling’s Carsten Nielsen says it was this moment that the company “unknowingly stepped into cable recycling,” – a field where it would quickly become a global leader, setting the tone for its future market strategy: innovation driven by regulation and necessity.
That pioneering spirit was carried into the mid-1970s, when Eldan began testing new approaches to process end-of-life tyres. This led to the development of its early Rasper technology. By 1990, the company launched its first complete tyre-recycling plant, offering an integrated line that moved beyond simple shredding to full granulation and material separation.
Carsten says this move solidified Eldan’s leadership in a waste stream that is now a critical environmental concern worldwide.
The business gained significant financial stability and a wider industrial network in 1999 when it was acquired by the Swedish industrial group Lifco AB, allowing Eldan to maintain its highly specialised identity while injecting the “financial horsepower” necessary for global expansion.
This period saw the integration of REDOMA Recycling AB in 2016, deepening the expertise in both dry and wet cable-recycling techniques, and further expanding the portfolio beyond cables and tyres to encompass electronic waste, aluminium scrap, and mixed non-ferrous materials.
Today, Eldan’s global success – with more than 1300 complete systems and 8100 machines installed worldwide – is built on its ability to address the pain points of modern recyclers.
“Recyclers today face unprecedented demands for material purity, which often determines market acceptance and price,” Carsten says. “For decades, Eldan has built its reputation on engineering precision, ensuring that the outputs from our systems – whether rubber granulate for sports fields or clean copper – meet these strict standards.
“This focus is directly tied to our core operational choices, which are non-negotiable for success.”
Carsten says the company’s decision to keep manufacturing in-house in Denmark ensures quality, guarantees reliable spare parts availability, and allows for the customisation necessary for complex, multi-material processing.
“The in-house approach, coupled with a modular plant design, allows customers to start small and expand their operations over time – a vital strategy for reducing initial investment risk and adapting to fluctuating market demands,” he says.
“Furthermore, this multi-material competence across tyres, cables, electronic waste, and scrap means the technology is highly adaptable, a key requirement for facilities dealing with varied input streams.”
This dedication to manufacturing stability is now paired with cutting-edge digital innovation. In 2024, Eldan acquired a stake in PICVISA Machine Vision Systems, a Spanish tech company providing advanced machine vision, artificial intelligence, and robotics for automated sorting and classification in waste management and recycling.
“This partnership is critical because it positions Eldan at the forefront of next-generation recycling, where purity requirements are increasingly strict,” Carsten says.
“Recyclers are actively investing in Eldan’s proven, high-purity systems to reduce waste, recover valuable resources, and supply the high-quality secondary raw materials that downstream markets demand.
“Eldan stands ready – not just as a supplier, but as a strategic partner for recyclers aiming to meet both environmental and economic goals.”
For more information, visit: www.eldan-recycling.com
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