Multi-purpose recycling

Recycling. A (hopefully) regular activity that has a none too insignificant impact on the way we dispose of our waste, occasionally influences the products we purchase, and is a cornerstone of ‘greener living’. But what if recycling could also help some of the most vulnerable people in society simultaneously? In many of the most densely-populated mega-cities some of the world’s poorest urban inhabitants collect recyclable materials to aid their livelihoods.

During a meeting of the Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group this week, a presentation was made by the Manager of the locally-based Appliance Re-use Centre (ARC). ARC is an organisation which takes recycling and converts it into a process with multiple benefits. Having collected unwanted electrical goods and repairing them, ARC then re-sells these products to lower-income families in the local area, a clear second benefit to the process of recycling with important socio-economic connotations. The process of repair is, in part, undertaken by the long-term unemployed. Some are trained to NVQ2 level, while work experience and training is also available for the disabled.

A scheme such as the one ARC operates can be applauded for a variety of reasons. That some of the largest dealers in white goods have, in the past, attempted to charge ARC to take unwanted, used products of their hands is morally reprehensible. That ARC nonetheless continues with its work should be applauded.