Reusing a product means simply using a product by the same or a different user for its primary purpose after the end of its first life. Several products have a prominent second use product market, such as various types of electrical and electronic products and components, automobiles (see figure) and component, and others. Product reuse results in product life extension. Embedded technology metals in such products stay in circulation and use for longer reducing the need for greater input of materials from primary resources.
Legal and regulatory
Although product reuse should be prioritised to other reverse use options, it does not come without challenges:
- Product reuse could result to future conflicts between reuse and recycling. For example, delays in recycling reduce stocks of critical metals from secondary sources and the availability of end-of-life products available for recyling.
- Recovered materials from end-of-life products that have extended their life (e.g. through second and third life) may become more degraded in quality over prolonged use and less suitable to many tech applications.
- Health and safety risks should be taken into account for repurposed products (e.g. second use batteries)
- The waste hierarchy prioritises reuse over recycling, but need to be cautious in applying this to all products without adequate consideration (e.g. sustainable management of EV batteries may operate differently).
With products that undergo rapid technology development, the management of them at the end of life is not as straight forward. For example, in a lithium-ion battery, the cobalt content has been decreasing over time. An old "high cobalt" battery that reaches its end-of-life could either be reused into a second life application, which ties in the embedded cobalt in the product, or recycled immediately to provide feedstock material for a number of newer "low cobalt" batteries. Eventhough recycling is lower in the waste management hierarchy, in that case it may prove more beneficial that reuse. Numerous factors should be considered in such cases for deciding the optimum end-of-life route (e.g. environmental credentials of both options, supply issues, economic aspects etc).