The Restart Project found that 36% of small electricals headed for recycling at a London waste facility still worked, 10% needed only simple repairs.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, April 24, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- 1 out of 3 electricals brought to recycling centre could be reused

In a recent study of the small appliances taken to a West London Household Reuse and Recycling Centre (HRRC), the Restart Project and West London Waste Authority found that 36% of all small electricals headed for recycling were still in good working condition. An additional 10% of items assessed only needed simple, low cost repairs to be restored to good working condition.

Shockingly, this means that almost half of the electrical products sent for recycling during the study could have remained in use if diverted from the recycling stream through reuse and repair. Restart estimates that across the UK this could mean that over 30,000 usable electrical products are being recycled every week. These products could have been used by someone in need, sold or repaired to extend the lifespan of the product.

The study took place over a week in March 2023 at the Abbey Road HRRC in Brent, London. A team of four experienced electronic fixers tested 599 small electrical products to track the type of electricals that were brought to the household recycling centre. They assessed the potential of these products to be reused by others and the need for repair. Of the 599 items tested, a shocking 274 items were still working or would require little more than a clean or cheap fix in order to be reused. Restart estimates that reusing these products rather than recycling them could have avoided over 700kg of e-waste and almost 6 tonnes of CO2. In addition, Restart estimates that if all of these products were resold, they could have a potential resale value of £5000.

The UK is the second highest producer of electronic waste per person in the world, and this study shows policy interventions and action are needed to prevent such a large number of working electronic items from being recycled at our local HRRCs.

West London Waste Authority recommends that if people have a working electrical item that is no longer needed, to consider donating or reselling it online via websites like Gumtree or Freegle. Some charity shops will also accept electrical items. If the item is faulty, consider taking it to a local repairer, or attend one of Restart’s repair events to learn some repair skills you can use at home.

Ugo Vallauri, Co-Director of the Restart Project said: “These shocking results highlight a massive failure of national waste policy. There are currently no requirements for waste facilities to filter items for reuse, just recycling targets, which the UK isn’t meeting. In a cost of living crisis, allowing this quantity of reusable items to be recycled is a scandal, in a climate crisis this waste of resources is devastating.

Stefania Fantini, one of the product testers said: “It was heartbreaking to find so many products that could have been given a second life. Fully working lamps, perfectly working printers and hoovers that still sucked - plus the items that could have been easily repaired. There are so many people in need that could use these things!”

Emma Beal, Managing Director, West London Waste Authority said: “At West London Waste Authority, we believe in the importance of reuse. Electronics are not only valuable but also full of the earth's natural resources. By recycling and reusing them, we can not only reduce waste but also provide electronics to people who need them at a low cost. At Abbey Road, we have invested a significant amount of time and effort into our projects, which showcase a new vision for waste and resources policy while demonstrating social value.”

Notes to editors

Methodology
- Research carried out by the Restart Project at the Abbey Road HRRC, facilitated by West London Waste Authority. Part of a project funded by UKRI in collaboration with Tech Takeback.
- The analysis took place between 24-30th March 2023. The assessors regularly fix items for members of the public at Restart Parties, and the Fixing Factories.
- A further 34% of 600 items were not able to be tested due to lack of power cables or linked products, so more comprehensive testing would be likely to identify a higher proportion of products that could be reused by others with or without simple repair.
- The figure of 30,000 products that could be reused across the UK was calculated by identifying what percentage of the products tested were from Brent residents (59%), then calculating the proportion of Brent residents (2021: 339,816) against UK population (2021, 67,026,300) (OND).
- Value estimates based on figures from the Revaluit Shop in Brighton, which is run by Tech Takeback and sells reused and refurbished electricals and electronics.
- The estimate for potentially avoided CO2 and waste is based on people reusing these products instead of buying new. Restart has developed a methodology based on rigorous analysis of publicly-available LCA data for calculating this. For more information: https://therestartproject.org/consumption/hidden-impact-devices/

The Restart Project aims to fix our relationship with electronics. It supports regular Restart Parties in London, and networks of repair cafes globally. Restart campaigns for better regulation to keep electrical products in use for longer and slow the growing mountain of e-waste.

West London Waste Authority manages the Abbey Road HRRC and hosts the Brent Fixing Factory, which diverts laptops from recycling and refurbishes them for use by local people that lack digital access. The Fixing Factory is a joint project with climate charity Possible, who run a second Fixing Factory in Kentish Town.

The UK is the second highest producer of e-waste per capita, according to the Global e-waste monitor, last published in 2020.

For more information contact

Ugo Vallauri (Restart Project Co-Director and study lead) - 07852570279, [email protected]

Fiona Dear (Restart Project Co-Director, UK based) - 07905312163, [email protected]

Maninder Singh Khunkhun (Marketing & Communications Officer - West London Waste Authority) - 07531276551 [email protected]

Fiona Dear
The Restart Project
+44 7905 312163
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