Stewart Hickey

Evaluating the sustainability potential of a white goods refurbishment program

A sustainable national policy on waste electronic and electrical equipment reuse has to ensure an integrated environmental economic and social approach. In this paper, a quantitative model is developed that permits a comparative analysis of re-use and non-re-use scenarios from an environmental and economic perspective. The model demonstrates the importance of considering user consumption profiles and the changing national electricity generation portfolio in determining the best end-of-life strategy, whether it should be reuse or recycling. A case study of Ireland is used to demonstrate the model. From a social perspective, qualitative aspects of reuse, such as the job creation potential and the impact on prosperity for low income families, are also considered. Reuse of white goods, if conducted through social enterprises, will create more employment than an equivalent amount of recycling for those most vulnerable to unemployment. Any environmental and social dividends from re-use can be realized only in the context of an economically sustainable system. This would include such factors as a secure supply of suitable equipment, a competitive cost base and sufficient revenues from sales and other sources in order for the business to survive. In an attempt to examine whether a white goods re-use program could possibly operate in a competitive manner with new appliances, this study has examined examples of comparable businesses operating in the EU as well as interpreting data on consumer demand.

Feasibility of Using Radio Frequency Identification to Facilitate Individual Producer Responsibility for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Regulatory measures that hold producers accountable for their products at end of life are increasingly common. Some of these measures aim at generating incentives for producers to design products that will be easier and cheaper to recover at the postconsumer stage. However, the allocation of recovery costs to individual producers, which can facilitate realization of the goals of these policies, is hindered by the practical barrier of identification and/or sorting of the products in the waste stream. Technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) can be used for brand or model recognition in order to overcome this obstacle. This article assesses the read rate of RFID technology (i.e., the number of successful retrievals of RFID tag data [“reads”] in a given sample of tagged products) and the potential role of RFID tags in the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) at current levels of technical development. We present the results of RFID trials conducted at a civic amenity site in the city of Limerick, Ireland. The experiment was performed for fixed distances up to 2 meters on different material substrates. In the case of white goods (i.e., large household appliances), a 100% read rate was achieved using an RFID handheld reader. High read rates were also achieved for mixed WEEE. For a handheld scan of a steel cage containing mixed WEEE, read rates varied from 50% to 73% depending on the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) metal mount tag employed and the relative positioning of the tags within the cage. These results confirm that from a technical standpoint, RFID can achieve much greater brand or model identification than has been considered feasible up to now, and thus has a role to play in creating a system that allocates recovery costs to individual producers.

Investigating reuse of B2C WEEE in Ireland

The environmental impact associated with electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is relatively large throughout its life cycle when compared to other durable consumer products. Prioritisation of reuse of WEEE is one approach that has been proposed to reduce manufacturing impacts and contribute to a reduction in this lifecycle burden. This paper aims to address two key issues in the area of reuse of EEE. (1) When should an appliance be reused and (2) what general conditions must be present for a successful reuse industry to operate? Surveys were conducted for five European reuse enterprises with the aim of determining the WEEE categories\products with the most significant potential for reuse and to examine the critical success factors for these enterprises to operate. Preliminary proposals to integrate reuse/refurbishment practices into the Irish WEEE waste management structure are outlined. The social dimensions of reuse are also discussed

Tackling Adverse Selection in Secondary PC Markets

The work presented in this paper addresses the issue of adverse selection in the secondary PC market and aims to raise consumer confidence with regard to the purchase of second hand personal computer systems. The solution adopts the concept of signalling from economic market theory and utilises existing on-board Self Monitoring and Reporting Technology (SMART) sensors to capture real-time usage data for the provision of a comprehensive signalling dataset on the product.

Developing RFID signalling to close the loop on second hand computers

Because of the underdeveloped market for used computers, a large number of functional systems are going to waste. A significant barrier to the development of a market is the inability to communicate the worth of a computer. In order to overcome this barrier, a system for determining the value through monitoring of the conditions under which it is used is suggested. This system uses sensors already present in modern systems to monitor usage conditions, then utilises Radio Frequency Identification to transmit this information for analysis. The proposed system will streamline the reverse logistics process by providing a quick, simple method for the identification of reusable computers, and some of the technical issues are discussed in this paper.

WEEE reuse trials in Ireland

Reuse/refurbishment trials for WEEE in Ireland are undertaken to establish the potential for reuse that exists using the established waste management systems. Preliminary findings have clearly shown two WEEE categories with the highest potential for reuse: (1) white goods (B2C) and (2) IT and telecoms (B2B). Early indications show white goods from retailers having a larger portion of appliances with potential for reuse compared to other sources, i.e. civic amenity sites and kerb side collections. ICT equipment source is generally three to four years old with a high potential for reuse.

Using feedback to enhance use phase efficiency of Personal Computers

Power management (PM) enabling rates of personal computers (PCs) must increase in order to maximise the use phase efficiency of PC systems. The use of product integrated feedback to promote optimal use of available PM features is proposed and a method of implementation is demonstrated. Feedback is terms of use phase efficiency is achieved through the use of existing application program interface (API) calling functions. These functions are accessible in all current Microsoft Windows operating systems. The periodic provision of immediate direct feedback on usage in the form of environmental and monetary savings can increase user awareness on usage efficiency. This information used in conjunction with education on optimal configuration of PM settings for an inefficient usage pattern can promote more efficient computing and also serve to mitigate any portion of environmental impact incurred in PC lifetime extension activities.

Signalling information from embedded sensors to promote lifetime extension in electrical and electronic equipment

The work presented in this paper proposes how life cycle data attained from embedded sensors in electronic systems can be used to potentially enhance their environmental efficiency. Signalling is a means whereby sensor information can be utilised to enhance consumer perception of the value of used equipment and therefore promote lifetime extension for these systems. This can help mitigate a large portion of the environmental impact associated with electronic system manufacture. A case study of a Personal Computer (PC) is presented together with potential signals that can ultimately serve to stimulate secondary market activity for this system.

A method for extracting historical thermal data from used PCs to foster reuse

In order to encourage the development of a secondary market for PCs, a system which utilises embedded sensors to perform prognostic monitoring of components has been proposed. This paper examines the technological aspects of the data recording phase of this system. The data extraction process is also discussed, and the technologies used for this are examined in depth.

The “iameco II” a case study in eco-design for Personal Computers

THIS study presents the results of a disassembly assessment that was carried out during the design and development of the “iameco II” as part fulfilment for the European Ecolabel for Personal Computers. The “iameco II” (pronounced ‘i am eco’) shown in Figure 1, aims to be the first Energy Star Class B category computer to secure the European Eco-flower.