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Reuse Options – Handling End-of-Life Goods
Consumer Reuse Options
You may have already had a look at our Waste Hierarchy diagram. This indicates that the best options (apart from not using at all) involve reuse before recycling and then disposal. This is the approach we suggest.
Firstly, is your product still working?
If so consider the following:
- If convenient, sell it to someone else – sites such as ebay have made this considerably easier, but don’t mis-represent the state of your goods.
- Give it to a friend or relative or through a site such as FreeCycle, which has many local branches.
- Donate it to a charitable organisation that can refurbish and possibly upgrade it, and put it back into use. N.B. This is a good option for domestic appliances as it avoids problems of disposal.
- Recycle it via your local Civic Amenity (CA) site or household recycling collection. If you’re buying replacement goods, your retailer may also offer “take-back” services.
- Dispose of it responsibly in your domestic refuse; or by contacting your council’s waste authority; or by taking it to your licensed civic amenity. N.B. electrical items by law cannot be disposed of in your waste bin (everything from light bulbs to freezers!)
Is your product broken?
Have you considered REPAIR? There are more places to get spares for common items than you might imagine. If that’s too much hassle, follow the same options as above, as it may still have value, particularly to charities in the case of furniture and domestic goods. However, be prepared to simply recycle.
Do you live in Scotland or Wales?
Visit these regional sites for detailed advice on reduction, reuse and recycling.
