Kathleen McMahon
University of Limerick
Kate McMahon is a research assistant and upcoming PhD student at the University of Limerick, Ireland. With a history in environmental science education from an early age, Kate obtained a bachelor's degree in Biology from Florida State University and went on to obtain a master's degree in Sustainable Resource Management from the University of Limerick. Since graduation she has been working in the field of sustainability issues surrounding electrical and electronic equipment, specifically waste. Currently Kate is also interning for the global regulatory compliance team at Dell in Limerick.
The proper treatment of waste plays an important role in global concerns regarding resource efficiency and climate change. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is of particular importance due to the high use of critical resources and production/recycling energy as well as the potential for toxic pollution in the event of improper disposal. The issues associated with the production and treatment of WEEE can be alleviated through preparation for reuse, which can be simply described as the processing required to return a product to use after it has entered official waste streams. Little research exists to identify what hinders and encourages success in preparation for reuse organizations concerned with consumer WEEE; this question has yet to be addressed on an Irish or European scale.
Within Ireland, the regulated preparation for reuse sector exists in an embryonic stage. This paper identifies supports to encourage the growth of the Irish system in the form of recommendations for policy makers. This research not only provides the opportunity to support a legally defined system in Ireland through evidence based policy recommendation, but a baseline for other systems to do the same.
EU member states reporting the highest reuse rates of both large household appliances and IT equipment were identified through Eurostat data and an analysis of the barriers and facilitators to this success within each country was conducted. Interviews with organizations for each country were recorded, transcribed, and reviewed for accuracy. Subsequently the Irish stakeholders including preparing for reuse organizations, compliance schemes, recyclers and equipment consolidation points, as well as retailers and civic amenity sites were interviewed in order to record input on the current system, contrast it with successful models and identify what action might be needed to move forward.
Several themes were identified through these analyses as related to success in preparation for reuse activities including:
• the involvement of social enterprises,
• access to equipment,
• segregation of waste with potential for reuse at the earliest point possible,
• adherence to quality national and international standards,
• a positive relationship with the Producer Representative Organizations responsible for enabling access to the materials,
• and the implementation of targets when necessary.
In particular, the barriers found to inhibit the preferred preparation for reuse behavior may be a consequence of Extended Producer Responsibility, which places the responsibility for supporting reuse activities into the hands of producers. This aspect of the legislation appears to be serving as the most significant barrier in itself to preparation for reuse within countries lacking in a strong history of reuse prior to the legislative requirement. The implementation of targets to oblige the development of a preparation for reuse system would likely be necessary in those states where resistance may be stronger and in particular where retailers have been employed as a significant part of the WEEE collection system.
• Public policy and governance , • Circular economy , • Sustainable consumption and production
