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1 Final Summary Report WEEE Collections Mon nitoring Research to trial and evaluate the collection of employees Small Household WEEE at thee workplace Project code: EEE Research date: December April 2016 Date: 24 th June 2016

2 WEEE Collections Monitoring WRAP s vision is a world in which resources are used sustainably. Our mission is to accelerate the move to a sustainable resource-efficient economy throughh re-inventing how we design, produce and sell products; re- thinking how we use and consume products; and re-defining re-usee and recycling. what is possible through Find out more at Written by: Professor Rob Holdway and Mark Dowling, Giraffe Innovation Ltd and Alan Dukinfield S2SS Group. Front cover photography: WEEEE Collected from the Trial While we have tried to make sure this report is accurate, WRAP does not accept liability for any loss, damage, cost c or expense incurred or arising from reliance on this report. Readers are responsible for assessingg the accuracy and conclusions of the content of this report. Quotations and case studies have been drawn from the public domain, with permissions sought where practicable. This report does not represent endorsement of the examples used and has not been endorsed by the organisations and individuals featured within it. This material is subject to copyright. You can copy it free of charge and may use excerpts from it provided they are not used in a misleading context and you must identify the source of the material and acknowledge WRAP s copyright. You must not use this report or material from it to endorse or suggest WRAP has endorsed a commercial product or service. For more details please see WRAP s terms and conditions on our website at WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 2

3 WEEE Collections Monitoring Contents Contents... 3 Glossary... 3 Acknowledgements... 3 Key facts... 4 Introduction... 5 Aim of the trial... 6 Key aspects in setting up the trial... 6 Data Capture Spreadsheet... 8 Trial results... 8 Conclusions Glossary B2B Business to Business SDA Small Domestic Appliances SHW Small Household WEEE WEEE Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Acknowledgements Alan Dukinfield Director S2S Group 1. The product disassembly and material breakdown was undertaken by S2S Group a leading IT Asset Management Company (ITAM) and Approved Authorised Treatment Facility (AATF). 1 WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring

4 WEEE Collections Monitoring 4 Key facts WEEE is the fastest growing waste type in the UK with 38% sent to landfill and 55% collected for recycling, of which only 7% is reused 2 ; 61% of UK households have at least one product stored and unused at home. Consumer behaviour of hoarding unused/unwanted products is a potential barrier to the recovery of household EEE for recycling and re-use 3 ; The potential for collecting Small Household WEEE from employees place of work presents a viable and convenient opportunity increase Small Household WEEE collections for onward re-use and recycling; The trial recruited 34 companies and collected a total of 137 products (430Kg) of Household WEEE. This equates to 12.65Kg per site; Across one year this would generate approximately 1,615Kg of Household WEEE from these companies; The products collected varied significantly with 49 types from laptop computers, fax machine to hair straighteners; Due to the generally poor condition and/or age of the products collected none of the products could be refurbished for re-use; Most of the collected products were over 5 years old (38%), years old (31%) with 20% over 15 years old. Alongside product condition, product age has a significant impact on resale value, especially for small household domestic products; In discussion with S2S group, it is considered that the format of this trial is more trusted than other return routes 4 that accompanies returning data bearing products (e.g., laptops) within a work environment and the association that they will be dealt with by a professional certified recycler; Despite the relatively low product return rates the trial showed it is a viable and convenient method for recovering products for onward recycling; and Companies indicated that the trial should have been longer to allow the implementation of the collections to be further advertised to staff and embedded into the company s own collection infrastructure WRAP s Sustainable EEE Consumer Tracker - Survey of 2,186 people - Spring EEE WEEE Collections Monitoring Knowhow. This trial did not collect any data bearing products. WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 4

Introduction This project supports WRAP s Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sustainability Action Plan (esap), to improve business efficiency and gain greater value from re-use and recycling 5.

5 Introduction This project supports WRAP s Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sustainability Action Plan (esap), to improve business efficiency and gain greater value from re-use and recycling 5. The primary aim of this project was to trial and evaluate Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collections of small household WEEE 6 (SHW) at the workplace by S2S Group s 7 customer s employees for onward re-use and recycling. WEEE is the fastest growing waste type in the UK with 38% sent to landfill and 55% collected for recycling, of which only 7% is reused 8. Consumer behaviour of hoarding unused/unwanted products is a potential barrier to the recovery of household EEE for recycling and re-use. 9 61% of UK households have at least one product stored and unused at home 10 which highlights there is a significant amount of potential WEEE available to be collected from households and innovative collection methods could increase WEEE flows in the UK. Therefore, this trial sought to encourage employees to return any unwanted/unused SHW at their place of work. The products collected were analysed and an assessment made on the potential for re-use and recycling. 5 The four other esap themes are 1. Extending product durability; 2. Minimising product returns; 3. Understanding and influencing consumer behaviour on product durability and reparability; and 4. Implementing profitable and resilient and resource efficient business models. 6 Small Household WEEE (SHW) as well as small consumer electronics. Included Microwaves which are classified as Large Household Appliances under the WEEE Directive WRAP s Sustainable EEE Consumer Tracker - Survey of 2,186 people - Spring WRAP s Sustainable EEE Consumer Tracker Do you have any of the following items stored at home which you do not currently use (e.g. in the garage, attic or a drawer)

6 WEEE Collections Monitoring 6 Aim of the trial The project had 3 main objectives: Trial and evaluate if employees would take their unwanted small household electrical products to the workplace for onward collection, recycling and/or refurbishment as part of their employers own electrical equipment recycling service; Analyse the collected WEEE to evaluate re-use and recycling potential; and Assess impacts of replicability of the WEEE collection trial. Key aspects in setting up the trial The trial ran for a 12 week period between January and March 2016 and focussed on S2S Group s customers which already have established Business to Business (B2B) WEEE collections in place. The trial assessed the extension of this service to include employees household WEEE. A total of 400 S2S Group customers were contacted to take part in the WEEE collection trial. Each was sent details of the trial by as well as by telephone from their customer account team. Each company that committed to the trial was sent a collapsible WEEE collection box along with a promotional poster to put either on the WEEE box or nearby (Figure 1). These were situated on-site at the workplace in prominent positions such as offices and canteens. Employees were then encouraged to bring their unwanted items to work and dispose of them in the designated collection containers. The collected WEEE (Figure 2) was securely transported to S2S Group s secure operations plant and receipted which provided an Auditable Asset Trail. The consignment was unpacked, weighed and recorded on the S2S bespoke database - the decommission stage of WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 6

7 WEEE Collections Monitoring 7 the process and subsequently evaluated for re-use,, repair and recycling. Figure 1 Promotional poster for WEEE collections WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 7

WEEE Collections Monitoring 8 Figure 2 WEEE collection box from the trial Data Capture Spreadsheet To record and analyse the collected WEEE a Data Capture Spread- Sheet (DCS) was developed in MS

8 WEEE Collections Monitoring 8 Figure 2 WEEE collection box from the trial Data Capture Spreadsheet To record and analyse the collected WEEE a Data Capture Spread- Sheet (DCS) was developed in MS Excel. This was used to input data on collected WEEE including product type, weight and age as well as the physical characteristics of the products, a key factor in determining re-use potential and resale value. The products were subsequently manually disassembled into constituent material types and these were then weighed. Trial results A total of 137 products, weighing 430Kg were collected from 34 companies during the trial. The largest percentage by weight was Display Equipment Kg (37%) followed by IT & Telecoms (125.74Kg) 29%. The products collected varied significantly with 49 varieties from laptop computers, fax machine to hair straighteners. The collected products included those that could contain personal and sensitive data e.g., laptops, hard drives, TV set top box, router, and PCs. WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 8

WEEE Collections Monitoring 9 All products

Only 10% of products collected were under 5 years

box. Althoughh some were damaged, the rapidd

old (38%), 10-15 years old (31%) with w 20% over

Alongside product condition, product age has a

main WEEE categories (Figure 3) ) with 5% Large

Appliances, 26% IT & Telecoms, 21% Consumer

Although the focus was on small domestic

trial, which fall into Category 1: Large

Figure 3 Product Numbers by WEEE Category The

9 WEEE Collections Monitoring 9 All products collected were unsuitable for repair and re-use due to their physical condition e.g., missing or broken b minor parts. Only 10% of products collected were under 5 years old. Thesee tended to be the routers and set top box. Althoughh some were damaged, the rapidd progression of this technology means there is little opportunity for re-use. Most of the collected products were over 5 years old (38%), years old (31%) with w 20% over 15 years old. Alongside product condition, product age has a significant impact on resale value, especially for small household domestic products. The collected WEEE (137 products) fell into 6 main WEEE categories (Figure 3) ) with 5% Large Household Appliances, 30% % Small Household Appliances, 26% IT & Telecoms, 21% Consumer Equipment, Displayy Equipment 16% and Tools <1%. Although the focus was on small domestic appliances (SDA), microwaves were included in the trial, which fall into Category 1: Large Household Appliances. Figure 3 Product Numbers by WEEE Category The main materials by weight were steel, plastics (various) and copper bearing printed circuit broads (PCBs). Of thee 430Kg collected, steel accounted for 148Kg (34%), plastic 94Kg 9 (22%), PCBs (copper WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 9

10 WEEE Collections Monitoring 10 bearing) 77Kg (18%), cable 40Kg (9%), glass 39Kg (9%), PCBs low grade boards 27Kg (6%), and PCBs - high grade boards 11 5Kg (1%). Overall, the trial didn t meet expectations in terms of the quantity and quality of WEEE collected. A total of 137 products (430Kg) of Household WEEE were collected within the trial period. This equates to 12.65Kg per site. Across one year this would generate approximately 1,615Kg of Household WEEE from these companies. This is equivalent to in WEEE evidence. Conclusions Despite the relatively low product return rates and poor quality of products collected, the trial showed it is a viable method for recovering products for recycling. However, due to the generally poor condition and/or age (no resale value) of the products collected, none of them could be refurbished for re-use. Alongside product condition, product age has a significant impact on resale value, especially for small household domestic products. A total of 137 products (430Kg) of Household WEEE were collected from 34 S2S Group customers. This equates to 12.65Kg per site. Across one year this would generate approximately tonnes of Household WEEE from these companies. The collected products included those that could contain personal and sensitive data e.g., laptops, hard drives, TV set top box, router, and PCs. In discussion with S2S group, it is assumed that the format of this trial is more trusted than other return routes 12. It is thought that returning data bearing products within a work environment and the association that they will be dealt with by a professional certified recycler. This could help overcome behavioural aspects such as hoarding of WEEE in the future; In summary, the following conclusions and observations can be drawn from the trial: 11 Those containing precious metals e.g., gold edge connectors. 12 EEE WEEE Collections Monitoring Knowhow. This trial did not collect any data bearing products. WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 10

11 WEEE Collections Monitoring 11 The collection of Small Household WEEE from employees via the existing infrastructure for business WEEE collections is both viable and cost effective; The collection method is viable for recovering products for recycling. However, due to the generally poor condition and/or age (no resale value) of the products collected none of the products could be refurbished for re-use; The broad range of products returned (49 types) is a positive indication that the trial engaged those people that responded to bring in unwanted/unused/hoarded Small Household WEEE that could typically end up in household waste and ultimately landfill; A total of 34 companies agreed to take part in the trial. The represents a take-up rate of 8.5%; Companies indicated that the trial should have been longer to allow the implementation of the collections to be advertised to staff and embedded into the companies own collection infrastructure. Starting the trail just after Christmas was thought by a number of companies to not be a good time of year but overall the engagement was positive; and A number of other additional S2S customers expressed interest in the trial but determined they were too busy at the start of the trial period to engage, but would participate in future. Overall, the findings do indicate that the overall approach presents a convenient opportunity to take-back small WEEE at an employee s place of work for onward recycling and potential re-use. WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 11

12 WEEE Collections Monitoring 12 WRAP - WEEE Collections Monitoring 12

Final Summary Report Project code: Date: Research date:

Final Summary Report Project code: Date: Research date: Final Summary Report WEEE Collections Mon nitoring Research to trial and evaluate WEEE collections for f re- use and recycling through Knowhow s Cardiff Customer Service Centre (CSC). Project code: EEE521-001