2.3 Cell phone reuse
In contrast to other electronic products, end-of-use cell phones have a thriving reuse market. Our data suggest that in the USA, 65% of all collected cell phones are reused rather than recycled [6]. Data from UK take-back enterprises indicate reuse yields, i.e., percentages of collected end-of-use phones being reused, as being well over 50% [5]. Unfortunately, there is currently no consistent terminology for product reuse. The various terms that are being used usually reflect the level of reprocessing that is involved. Refurbishment typically indicates a modest and remanufacturing a substantial level of reprocessing. Reuse is the generic term for product recovery, but often also points towards no or little reprocessing. Cell phone reuse and refurbishment is not done by OEMs but by the thirdparty take-back enterprises mentioned earlier. After the cell phones have been collected and shipped to their premises, the refurbishers inspect and sort the handsets into those that can be reused and those that have to be recycled. Whether handsets can be reused depends on their functional and cosmetic condition and the existence of a secondary market for the handset make and model. Frequently, refurbishers use software programs and databases to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the sorting operations. The reprocessing operation can range from simple testing to genuine repair or reconditioning of parts or subassemblies. Extent and type of reprocessing is chosen in order to maximize financial return. All handsets that cannot be reused are sent to recyclers. Reuse and recycling of cell phones are therefore not independent of each other. In fact, since refurbishers handle the vast majority of collected end-of-use handsets, they are also the largest source of cell phones for recycling [6]. Recyclers, on the other hand, are currently not engaged in end-of-use cell phone collection.