The WEEE directive states that “where appropriate, priority should be given to the reuse of WEEE and its components, subassemblies, and consumables”, but has no mandatory reuse targets analogous to its collection, recovery, and recycling targets [3].
One of the main reasons for the viability of cell phone reuse is the short average handset life. However, as mentioned earlier, most retired cell phones are simply stored by their owners rather then returned through the available reverse logistics channels. This appears to be the main
obstacle for increased collection and reuse of handsets.
The biggest challenge for refurbishers is thus to decrease this hibernation period of retired handsets