New application to assess the reuse value of electronic items

The app is intended to make it easier for individuals who wish to donate unwanted items, and for staff of reuse centres to classify and recognise if small electrical appliances are reusable, improving sorting and pricing of donated items. The app will assist staff in assessing the repairability options available for the items they are working with. Due to staff shortages and turnover of employees that social enterprises experience, knowledge in this area is insufficient or gets lost with each staff leaving. The app is thus intended to improve the accuracy of sorting by assisting in scanning the electrical appliances that are collected to evaluate if they can be reused or not. This will be done by providing key information on the product’s origin and the options available for repair. This process reduces the rate at which electrical appliances are discarded due to lacking expertise and unavailable information on repairability. The German Federal Ministry of Economics funds the initiative.

The use of the app is expected to increase the ability to identify details about electrical appliances, leading to a higher rate of items correctly assessed and accepted for preparation for reuse and reuse. Gathering rapidly and efficiently information on the year of manufacture, repair options available for each item and the possible price at the second-hand store, is crucial for a smoother selection of appliances that can be further inspected for reuse. The implementation of the app is expected to result in more products being put back into circulation and capturing more value through reuse, which means a higher financial turnover from sales compared to discarding the appliances. It should also provide sorting staff with considerable support in the process of preparation for reuse. The introduction of this digital tool is thus expected to increase the efficiency and precision of the social enterprise and provide employees with a wide range of skills.