European project for breaking barriers on re-use of digital devices ensuring final recycling. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (www.upc.edu).

Digital Devices or Electric and Electronic Equipment (EEE) are scrapped at an alarming rate instead of being salvaged, fixed, and reused. For the reuse sector to flourish, donors, receivers and reuse centers need services and technologies to gain effectiveness, efficiency, and traceability to ensure final recycling. The main challenges to overcome are access to enough volume of good quality used devices, prepare quickly those with more potential for reuse, enable direct donations of devices, guarantee that reused devices are finally recycled, communicate the social and environmental value of reuse, reward donors, and commit receivers of reused devices with recycling.

We present ereuse.org, set of open source tools based on a distributed platform ecosystem that enable direct donation of devices. Traceable devices are prepared to be reused in the donor’s location, and receivers are responsible for collecting them. This reduces costs, minimizes EEE losses because there is no need for central logistic or centralizing the engagement of donors on charity projects. The background and foreground Intellectual Property follows an open model (unrestricted), as the goal is to bootstrap the reuse process, generate local efficiencies, guarantee the final recycling, and ensure traceability. Pilots already performed give a traceability of 80% at device components. eReuse platforms discourages malicious uses through a reputation scheme to reward receivers that extend the life of devices and track them until reaching authorized collection points.

An example of eReuse platforms already running are Reutilitza.cat. A team of volunteers, activists and researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya has created a reuse platform for digital devices. Is an example of local reuse ecosystem in Catalonia (Spain), where public organizations, private companies, and recipients exchange services and goods. This platform is in close cooperation with the public Waste Agency, associations of manufacturers responsible for recycling 80% EEE in Spain, social enterprises that repair and refurbish equipment, and consumer groups guaranteeing the final recycling of the devices.

This work is supported the by European Community Framework Programme 7, Collective Awareness Platforms for Sustainability and Social Innovation (CAPS), project “Collective enHanced Environment for Social Tasks” (CHEST), contract 611333.

Country: Spain

Organization Type: University

City: Barcelona 08034,Pangea, Vertex, 1-3, Campus Nord UPC Google map

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