Reuse through second hand markets

Second hand markets have been around as long as electrical products have been around – or any kind of product, for that matter. Household electrical products have found new homes passing through people’s families, friends and neighbours; in car boot sales; via Facebook and other social media; in stores and not least through the Swedish online marketplace Blocket. There are also retailers and insurance companies that collect second-hand products that go on to be handled in or outside Sweden.

Professional electrical equipment is resold through the companies that collect and recondition such products. They are then put out for sale in or outside Sweden.

It is on the second hand markets that we find the greatest reuse volumes. However, there are no statistics to show the size of these flows or where the items end up. This makes it difficult to say whether we are good at reusing or not, as we have no aggregate data to back this statement up.

At our analysis facility we can find out things like the age of the waste products we collect. The age and state of a product can give us an indication of how well the product has been used. What we lack, however, is statistics that reveal how many of these products have been reused and really properly worn out before they end up as recycling. Also, there is a lack of statistics relating to the products that leave the country. Combining our collection and our analyses with more information from the second hand markets is one way towards a greater understanding of second hand market flows.

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