Electronic appliances and devices for social organisations: an opportunity

Some months ago, I had the opportunity to visit a warehouse to recycle electronic appliances and devices. Huge tubs full of new electronic devices waiting for their turn: record players, typewriters, mobile phones, chargers, TVs. Long shelves stacked with computers that were now obsolete. Crates loaded with small, unpacked devices that had been taken off store shelves…I couldn’t believe my eyes: a huge space full of devices waiting patiently to be taken apart for their components to be given a new life; separating copper from aluminium, plastic, and other components.

At the time I became even more aware of the consumerist society we are creating, a culture of single use, an unmatched appetite for everything new. Environmental sustainability has gained relevance in recent years, and this includes using resources efficiently, reducing waste and encouraging more sustainable production and consumption of goods.

The idea of environmental sustainability isn’t just about reducing the amount of waste we generate in our daily lives or recycling, but also how to reuse or, directly, using products that haven’t been sold or are discontinued. They still have a value and can be used but, instead of giving them a second life, we end up throwing them out without even being used.

For all these reasons I can only applaud this initiative. It is Circular Place: a web-based platform that is a marketplace for producers and non-profit organisations to find a new use and give a second life to products that would otherwise be destroyed.

On the platform you can find anything from fridges, a/c units, to heaters; screens; low-consumption, LED and fluorescent lightbulbs; large appliances such as generators and transmission and robotics; small devices and electric materials; computers and phones; large photovoltaic panels…

The main idea is that any non-profit organisation and occupational, educational, and vocational training centres or universities can use these products that haven’t been sold or are discontinued in stores, or devices that are faulty and, in doing so, allowing users to benefit from them.

This not only allows reducing the amount of waste we generate, but it also makes products available to people who, otherwise, would never have access to them. Organisations working with social, educational, community or sustainable development projects can use these products to support people who are in a vulnerable position, to promote education and learning, or even to promote local entrepreneurial and economic growth initiatives.

I would encourage everyone to visit circularplace.org and register. This would be a first step to make our planet slightly more sustainable.