About 20 percent of the wood, metal and hard plastic sent to recycling centers can be reused and sold without repairs. However, repairing products to sell does not pay off. These were the conclusions of an investigation conducted by IVL, the Swedish Environmental Institute, on behalf of the Lund Sanitation Plant.
Lund Municipality wants to increase the potential to reuse products and materials by establishing a recycling hub. Based on the study carried out by IVL, 19 percent of the municipality’s waste was assessed as commercially reusable, so there is considerable room for improvement. The products with the greatest potential are those with a less developed second-hand market that for clothing, for example. Above all, there seems to be a market for used of construction products.
The interest in a refurbishment hub in Lund is strongest among stakeholders in the second-hand sector, who see a variety of needs such a hub could fulfill, ranging from sorting products to transportation and distribution. This would allow second-hand stores to devote more space to sales.
TARGET 12: SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
12.2 Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030.
12.5 Significantly reduce the amount of waste through measures to prevent, reduce, recycle and recycle waste by 2030.
(In swedish)