Existing reuse standards and guidelines

Most standards or guidelines for reuse tend to be for the refurbishment and repair of PCs and whiteware.

All electrical and electronic appliances sold in New Zealand must be safe in terms of Australian/New Zealand Standard (AS/NZS) 3820. Suppliers must take responsibility for only distributing safe products.

International and joint Australia and New Zealand electrical appliance safety standards cover a range of products. Other standards cover requirements such as in-service testing, repaired appliances, second-hand electrical equipment, and reconditioning or recycling parts of appliances.

They are not intended to apply to products that are recovered from the waste stream or to products that are reused to extend their normal operable life. Therefore, these guidelines should only be considered for appliances before they enter the recycling stream and not to appliances that have reached their end-of-life.

The standards used to assess the safety of new EEE assume a finite lifetime of the equipment, after which time the item will be taken permanently from service.

To date, no standards have been developed that would give guidance on the safety level required should reworking be performed that extends the original expected lifetime. For some items of equipment significant evolution of the safety requirements has been necessary to maintain consumer safety. If reworking is introduced to any significant degree, standards would need to be developed to establish the applicable safety requirements, and those pieces of equipment (such as electric blankets) not suitable for reworking identified.

It is noted that there may be a shortfall in the current standards. To further develop reuse and recycling of electrical and electronic appliances in New Zealand it may be necessary to review the existing standards so any reuse does not retain out-of-date safety standards. The review of existing standards is not covered here.

Electrical safety is regulated by the Energy Safety Service, part of the Ministry of Economic Development.

Current standards are listed in table 7. Please note that the terminology used in different standards varies.

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Table 7: Existing reuse standards and guidelines
Microsoft Approved Refurbishers Scheme (MAR)

Refurbishers who are members of the following programmes are able to supply computers with genuine Microsoft software pre-installed to businesses, consumers and not for profit groups.

  • Microsoft Registered Refurbisher. This program is for small and midsize refurbishers across the globe who wish to supply refurbished PCs pre-installed with genuine Microsoft software to local consumers and businesses, and qualified charities, non-profits, schools, and government programs.
  • Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher. This program is for large refurbishers who refurbish an average minimum volume of 5000 PCs each month. Refurbishers supply refurbished computers and servers pre-installed with genuine Microsoft software to businesses, consumers, and non-profits.
The MAR scheme does not look into the systems used to refurbish equipment.
ICER Accreditation Scheme for Refurbishers

The Industry Council for Electronic Equipment Recycling (ICER) has developed a refurbishment accreditation scheme which covers all aspects of refurbishment.
Currently 12 UK organisations are accredited as ICER refurbishers. The costs of accreditation are:

  • initial registration – £650
  • renewal every 18 months – £100
  • auditing fees every 18 months, to be negotiated with the independent auditor.
(Note: these are indicative fees and may differ for ICER members/non-members.)
Furniture Re-use Network’s Kitemark for Reuse Operators The Kitemark for EEE/WEEE Reuse has been created for the reuse sector in the UK. It follows ISO9001 but is the Furniture Re-use Network’s own internal (sector-specific) accreditation. It covers the collection/clearance of all WEEE sites (contracts) as well as the technical requirements of repair and refurbishment. It covers IT as well as larger appliances, consumer and audio-visual equipment. The standard is based on a code of practice and includes logistics, transport, health and safety, and risk.
Australasian Cartridge Remanufacturers Association Code of Practice and Code of Ethics This covers compliance with legislation, product warranties, and compliance with industry standards and procedures for cartridges.
US Defense Standard 5220.22-M (www.gcsb.govt.nz, PDF, 262 KB) This is a security cleansing standard used as the minimum standard for data removal. There are also other standards available. The New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau recommends a product called Blanco (www.gcsb.govt.nz, PDF, 1.39MB), or the US Department of Defense standard for security wiping hard drives. US Department of Defense Standard 5220.22-M specifies a minimum overwrite of three times, but depending on the level of sensitivity of the information, up to seven times is recommended.
The Australian/New Zealand Standard 3760: 2010 for electrical safety All equipment should be tested in compliance with Australian/New Zealand Standard 3760:2001 for electrical safety. A bulletin issued in February 2007 lists the specific requirements for selling safe second-hand appliances. This standard gives advice on competent persons, inspection, testing, tagging, rating, operating voltage, plugs, plug adaptors, tyres and electrical accessories. However, this standard may not establish whether a discarded electrical appliance is safe.
The Australian/New Zealand Standard 5761: 2005 In-service safety inspection and testing – second-hand electrical equipment prior to sale This covers second-hand equipment from any source which is offered for sale as second-hand.
The Australian/New Zealand Standard 5762: 2005 In-service safety inspection and testing – Repaired electrical equipment This standard covers electrical equipment, which has been repaired or undergone service maintenance which could have affected electrical safety.
The Australian/New Zealand Standard 4701: 2000 Requirements for domestic electrical appliances and equipment for reconditioning or parts recycling This standard sets out general requirements applying to used domestic appliances intended for sale for reconditioning (reuse), salvaging of parts only (recycling), (or in New Zealand, historic collections), so the public are kept safe without preventing the recycling or resale of electrical appliances or parts which may not be safe to use.
Online good practice collection and treatment guidelines for electrical and electronic products produced by WRAP in the UK

These guidelines include several sections on advice on the reuse of WEEE including ensuring quality items for reuse, judging demand, sourcing WEEE for reuse, and protective packaging of reuse items.


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Last updated:15 March 2011