Reuse takes place informally all the time. Businesses pass old computers to staff or schools, TVs move from the sitting room into children’s bedrooms, people offer goods for sale on TradeMe, and so on. The guidance here does not deal with this type of reuse.
This guidance should be used by any organisation that collects, refurbishes, repairs or otherwise handles end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment that could be reused. This could include local authorities, community groups, retail outlets, collectors, and organisations operating product stewardship schemes.
It should be read with the Guidelines and recommendations for WEEE reuse and recycling operators.
A checklist on reusing electrical and electronic equipment is available for you to print and use.
Equipment with the potential to be reused and markets for reused equipment
This page provides information on the type of equipment with the potential to be reused and markets for reused equipment.
There is a strong and important reuse sector in New Zealand and overseas. It comes under a number of names - repair, refurbishment, remanufacture, remarketing - but the common theme is that all these activities:
- collect equipment
- assess its condition
- repair where necessary
- resell or provide for free whole units or components.
The main types of equipment with potential to be reused and the markets for the reused equipment are shown in table 4.
| Type of EEE | Organisations | Markets |
|---|---|---|
| IT equipment | Remarketing companies Smaller remanufacturers reliant on local business and household equipment IT service providers Not-for-profit organisations providing training and workplace agreements | New business users Schools Charities Individuals People on low income New markets overseas |
| Whiteware | Mainly not-for-profit organisations providing training and workplace training opportunities Note: activity in New Zealand seems to be limited, which differs from experiences in other countries, such as the UK | Often linked to furniture reuse projects and distributed to people on low incomes |
| Mobile phones | Remarketing companies | Remanufactured mobile phones are often sent for sale in Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Eastern Europe, where the cost of handsets is prohibitively high |
| Other | Recycling companies, local councils and contractors operating recycling centres and goodwill shops | Resale or donation to community organisations or the public |
The type of activity and level of reuse affects whether an operation is classed as a second-hand dealer and needs to comply with second-hand dealer legislation.
The legislation in this area is complex. Different operators may undertake different types of preparation for reuse and may not do all activities. This is illustrated in table 5. Depending on the stated level of reuse, operators must comply with all or some of the standards identified in table 7.
| Description | End user | New Zealand example |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1: Repair (make safe only) Electrical safety testing and labelling in compliance with all legislation Clear labelling of products as compliant (or not) with electrical safety Sold as seen by consumer – buyer beware No removal of data (disposer responsibility) Faults corrected Functional unit | Any | The Supershed is a shop in Christchurch where reusable household items, sporting goods, and construction materials collected at the eco-depots (facilities for recovering resources from the waste stream) are sold to the public. Whole items in good workable condition are electrically checked, repaired if necessary, labelled and sold. No representation is made about the functionality of any item. Whole items that fail the electrical check and/or do not work correctly have the leads cut off and can still be sold legally with a sticker that indicates the item is not ‘electrically safe’. These items are also sold for spare parts. |
| Level 2: Refurbished | Charities, schools, community groups | Refurbishers approved by Computer Access New Zealand work to approved standards for redistribution to schools and provide a minimum six month warranty. |
The key difference between level 1 and level 2 is whether the equipment is refurbished or whether it is sold as seen to the new user. Both of these types of operation fall within New Zealand law and divert significant quantities of waste from landfill. Note that not all of the standards in table 7 apply to all who reuse.
Reusing end-of-life EEE
Deciding when end-of-life EEE should be reused
The main goal of reuse is to preserve the value of materials converted into products. When deciding whether an appliance and/or its components have a reuse value the first question to consider is what the environmental benefits of reuse are. You should consider:
- the end market and/or demand for a reused/remanufactured appliance – both domestic and/or overseas
- the end market and/or demand for recovered second-hand components
- whether the appliance is safe
- the operating pattern of the appliance
- the energy efficiency of the appliance
- whether the reused appliance can be warranted
- the value of resource recovery versus extending the product’s life.
Products likely to be reused are high value, complex, durable and not closely related to lifestyle.
For certain types of electrical and electronic appliances, in particular refrigerators and freezers, reuse has questionable environmental benefits over its whole life. For example, the environmental impact of an old, energy inefficient refrigerator during use is considerably higher than if that refrigerator had been withdrawn from use and recycled.
However, studies about computer monitors (Kiakittipong, et al, 2007), have shown that disposing of an operable CRT monitor and buying a new LCD might not be beneficial as the energy gained from the difference in the energy consumption is not justified.
The difference can partly be explained in the operating pattern of different appliances. Refrigerators are mostly run continuously throughout their lives whereas computer monitors are operated periodically.
Often, the components of an appliance will have beneficial reuse even if the whole appliance doesn’t.
For many electrical and electronic products, reuse will never be suitable or only to a certain level. However, identifying and designing products that may be suitable for reuse could contribute to a more resource efficient economy and more efficient waste management.
Benefits of reusing EEE
Reusing EEE extends the life of equipment, which reduces raw material use and energy consumption.
Reuse is also a business sector in its own right with professional remarketing, refurbishing and repair companies providing a service to large original equipment manufacturers. Reused equipment is more affordable and extends the market for electronic and electrical equipment.
Reused equipment is often taken to a new market which may not usually be able to afford that equipment, either in New Zealand (for example, to low-income families, charities and schools) or overseas, such as to developing nations.
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 6).
| 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. |
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 [New Zealand Standards wesbite]. 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 [Energy Safety New Zealand website], part of the Ministry of Economic Development.
Current standards are listed in table 7. Please note that the terminology used in different standards varies.
| 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.
|
| 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.
|
| 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, 1.39 MB], 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. |
Guidelines and recommendations for reuse
The guidelines and recommendations apply to end-of-life EEE before it enters the recycling stream and cover equipment donated, sold or bought.
By following these guidelines and recommendations you will:
- prepare EEE for reuse with the minimum risk to the environment and health and safety of workers
- operate to international standards
- overcome quality and other issues.
Categorising the level of reuse
Reuse operators must:
- identify the level you operate at and which preparation for reuse activities you cover
- comply with the guidelines associated with your level of activity
- have a system to identify and comply with applicable trading standards and electrical safety legislation
- clearly mark equipment in a way the customer can understand, to show what level of reuse has taken place.
All operators must be transparent to their customers about the level of reuse that will take place. They must be able to provide, on request, a written statement showing the process undertaken to reuse the equipment and the outlets for that equipment. This should include outlets for saleable equipment and the routes for waste equipment that cannot be reused or does not have a market for reuse.
Electrical safety
Work must only be carried out by skilled staff holding the appropriate qualifications. Operators should adhere to the relevant electrical safety standards:
- AS/NZS 3760: 2010 [New Zealand Standards website]
- AS/NZS 5761: 2005 [New Zealand Standards website]
- AS/NZS 5762: 2005 [New Zealand Standards website]
- AS/NZS 4701: 2000 [New Zealand Standards website]
Data removal
Data removal requirements must be discussed with disposers of equipment.
If it is the end-user’s responsibility to remove all personal/business data before disposal this must be communicated adequately.
Where the operator is removing data, it must be to approved standards. The Government Communications Security Bureau has published the NZ ICT Security Manual, or NZSIT 402. It contains information about the way information and communication technology (ICT) security is managed, implemented and documented. It also includes ICT security standards, principles and advice on specific aspects of ICT systems, such as hardware, software and access control.
Operators must offer, and on request, provide disposers with a certificate of destruction of data (hard disk formatting) and/or physical destruction of the hard drive.
Quality management
Operators:
- must have a written procedure showing their reuse process. The Furniture Reuse Network’s accreditation procedure could be used as a benchmark for the type of issues an operator should consider in the reuse process
- must remove all distinguishing marks from machines that would link the equipment back to the disposer
- must maintain calibration of test and measurement equipment
- should offer disposers a receipt itemising the equipment received into the facility
- should keep details of items entering and leaving the facility, even if the disposer does not wish to have a receipt
- should have a tracking procedure to track equipment through the process. This tracking system should enable:
- a full audit report to be supplied to disposers stating what has happened to the equipment
- mass balance (total volume) information as a whole for the facility, detailing: number of units and tonnes into the facility, numbers of units refurbished, and tonnes of waste sent for recycling
- for remanufacturers (donating to charities and community groups) details of recipient bodies should also be available to equipment disposers
- provide clear labelling of machinery that notes whether it is refurbished, remanufactured, upgraded and/or repaired
- provide an appropriate warranty to customers. For computing equipment the warranty usually covers hardware only
- should have appropriate public and product liability cover
- must only use legal software on machines when upgrading.
Health and safety responsibilities
A full risk assessment should be carried out into the risk to operators during the preparation for reuse process. This is likely to include:
- manual handling
- storage of equipment
- minor cuts and abrasions.
If the preparation for reuse process involves working on electronic circuitry, this should operate under protective conditions with any fumes evacuated away from workers, and proper disposal of residues.
Specific procedures for training and equipment should be used to minimise the risks.
Dismantling and downstream recycling
Operators must:
- undertake a full risk assessment so that health, safety and the environment are protected
- only dismantle equipment to their level of expertise.
All equipment and components that cannot be reused or that have no viable reuse market should be classed as waste and dealt with in a responsible manner following the guidelines in the Recycling WEEE section.
Operators must keep a record of the route for all waste material from their operation and only deal with operators who comply with this guidance. Operators must not export waste unless all requirements under international obligations such as the Basel Convention are met. See Exporting hazardous WEEE for more information.
Using overseas operators for reuse
If equipment is sent overseas for reuse, the operator must:
- ensure the items leaving their operation are packaged to protect damage in transit and to reach the destination capable of reuse
- test the equipment to verify it is in good working order before exporting
- only use overseas organisations that can meet the recommendations of this guidance
- gain written guarantees from the overseas operation of their reuse process, proposed recipients, and procedures for disposing of waste equipment
- check the end market is verified (legitimate) and viable at the time of export through supply chain audits
- only send working second-hand equipment to countries that have systems for recycling the equipment in that country once it is disposed of.
Special requirements for handling refrigerant appliances
Operators handling refrigerant appliances must:
- hold the relevant tradesperson qualifications and hold a ‘No Loss’ card
- work within the guidelines of the Australia/New Zealand Refrigerant Handling Code of Practice 2007 [The Institue of Refrigeration Heating and Air Conditioning (IRHACE) New Zealand website].
See more on...
Reuse of EEE
March 2021
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