This report came out of nowhere and was completely unexpected but, apparently refurbished appliances are making a comeback. At least in Devon, for now.
A new facility dedicated to refurbishing domestic appliances for sale across Devon has opened. It is operated by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd, who operate 18 Household Waste Recycling Centres on Devon County Council’s behalf, and has opened their new reuse hub in North Devon.
It is reported that technicians will clean and refurbish a range of white goods such as refrigerators, freezers, and washing machines, which will then be distributed to reuse shops in Household Waste Recycling Centres across the county for sale.
The refurbished items will be safety and function tested to ensure they meet safety and quality standards and are to be sold with a thirty-day money-back guarantee.
The appliances are being sold at Devon Reuse Shops in the following waste centers: Bideford, Brunel Road in Newton Abbot, Marsh Barton Exeter, Ivybridge, Knowle Hill in Exmouth, Pinbrook Road in Exeter, Sidmouth, and Seven Brethren in Barnstaple.
Councillor Jacqi Hodgson said: “Domestic appliances are essential but to buy new they are also expensive; and at a time when family finances continue are under huge pressure to be able to replace them when things go wrong with something affordable and reliable is difficult for many families. That’s why the expansion of the reuse hub by SUEZ is such great news; we are not only extending the life of these items and demonstrating our continued commitment to sustainability and the circular economy, but we are providing essential household items at affordable prices.”
This is interesting because, as we have reported in the past, refurbishing largely died off some years ago due to the costs of running such operations and the ever-lower cost of appliances and, despite comments such as “they are expensive”, they are in reality cheaper today than they have ever been.
We published this article after receiving many requests about obtaining what’s known as “raw machines” for refurbishing, as there were no sources. And, even if you could get machines, the parts costs etc made it unviable.
And if you want to know why it is we say that machines are almost ludicrously cheap these days, this is our favourite article to explain that.
All that said, it is good to see that at least some machines will get a second life and that waste is to be avoided and this effort is to be applauded. Hopefully it saves some people a bit of money as well as the environment.
