Wheel of Life : “Buy new Items" is the 1st stage in the wheel. Consumers go out and purchase electronic devices. The 2nd stage in this "wheel of life" is returning end-of-life appliances or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Consumers are not allowed to dispose of WEEE through other than dedicated collection points. Fees might be applicable for certain wastes. The 3rd phase involves "Detoxification" - the removal of critical components from the e-waste in order to avoid dilution of and / or contamination with toxic substances. This work requires much manual labor and thus is unprofitable considering Swiss wages. Most of the costs and often this manual processes are outsourced by the large recyclers to nearby social institutions. The 4th stage involves the shredding of like materials so they can be prepared for refinement. The 5th and final stage, is refinement, where Most of the fractions need to be refined or conditioned in order to be sold as secondary raw materials or to be disposed of in a final disposal site, respectively. Many refining processes take place outside Switzerland, entailing greater transport distances.