Barriers to reusing EEE

There is a lot of resistance to reusing EEE. Some of this resistance is for commercial reasons. Reusing can be seen as competing with the sellers of new equipment and with the recycling sector, as reused equipment often has the greatest recycling value. These issues are not dealt with in this guidance.

Resistance can also occur because of the perceived or actual risks associated with reusing. These issues can be overcome through standards (see table 7).

Table 6 describes the barriers to reusing EEE and suggested responses to overcome them.
Issues Worst-case impact Suggested responses
Data removal Personal data is not removed from PCs or mobile phones and is used for criminal purposes. Data removal standards, certificates of secure destruction.
Safety Equipment is unsafe and causes fire or damage. Electrical safety testing of all refurbished equipment.
Ownership The remanufactured/refurbished or repaired equipment is faulty. The new owner goes back to the original manufacturer or a retailer to claim their money back.

Clear marketing of the reused equipment as refurbished stock.

Provision of warranties by the remanufacturer.
Brand security There is a risk to the reputation of the original equipment manufacturer as they have no control over the standard of preparation for reuse. Remanufacturers should ensure appropriate information is provided to the customer and not sell on ‘as new’, as with the second-hand car market. The responsibility for appropriate recycling passes to the final owner.
Costs of new equipment compared to cost of reused equipment It costs more to reuse than it does to buy new, so there is only a temporary market opportunity for reused goods. A standard would not be effective for this scenario. This is a commercial decision for reuse businesses. Either the goods will be sold into other markets where there is still an opportunity, or reuse will stop. Whichever happens, the organisations disposing of WEEE should assess reuse options as the first priority before seeking recycling services.
Misrepresentation: items not being reused after all or there is no legitimate end-user or end market Goods are exported overseas for reuse, but instead are disassembled and recycled in poor working conditions. Exporting equipment that is close to end-of-life is equivalent to exporting waste. Basel permits and checks by Customs should reduce this risk. Disposal chain auditing is also important. The legitimate end-user must be verified.
Debate over the environmental benefits of reuse of some older items such as refrigerators because the energy efficiency of these items can be less than in newer machines A person on a low income is given a cheap refrigerator, but their energy bills are much higher or remain the same because it is an inefficient machine.

Part of the assessment process should be for energy-inefficient machines to be recycled, rather than reused.

For PCs, the OECD believes the energy issue is not significant enough to outweigh the benefits of recycling (OECD, 2000 (PDF, 239 KB)).

Note – the New Zealand Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) do not apply to second-hand equipment, only to new products.
Illegal use of software PCs are sold or donated to charities or individuals with illegal software. Microsoft-approved ‘refurbishers’ scheme.
Availability of spare parts Customers are not able to source spare parts for older models of appliances. Reusers and manufacturers are not obliged to provide spare parts for appliances no longer on the market. As for second-hand car parts, the onus is on the owner to search for spare parts. However, for some of the more ‘consumable’ appliances with high market turnover, such as computers and mobile phones, there is an active market for components/parts and components/parts can often still be sourced from the manufacturers.
Poor public perception of reused goods among consumers No market for reused goods. Ensure reused goods are compatible with co-dependent equipment. Put efforts in to marketing the benefits of the reused good.
Poor design for reuse, such as composite materials, especially plastics It takes too long to disassemble, diagnose and reassemble. The materials are not amenable to repair or replacement. Development of simpler assemblies with materials suitable for reuse and research and development in this area.

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Last updated:15 March 2011