The paper presents a new static method for separating metallic particles (2-3 mm) from metal-plastic mixtures. The method makes use of the force which acts on a conductive particle when this is situated in the magnetic field of a coil run by the discharging current of a capacitor. This effect is studied both theoretically and experimentally. In the final part of the paper, the installation and a number of experimental results (R R(G), R-recovery, G-grade) are presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.