The repair evolution: SUEZ releases guide to support local authorities in the transition to reuse and repair at household waste recycling centres

The new guide builds on key recommendations laid out in “Putting Reuse at the Heart of Your Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC)”, a guide launched by SUEZ last year that provides advice on scaling up and maximising opportunities for reuse at Household Waste Recycling Centres across the country. The second guide looks at the next step in taking the journey up the waste hierarchy through the introduction of repair activities, alongside the re-use activities already in place.

SUEZ’s objective is to make reuse and repair more accessible and generate economic, environmental, and social value as part of the circular economy – delivering positive benefits to society through job creation, training opportunities and access to more affordable products.

Repair is an intervention either to fix a part of an item’s function, or an aesthetic change that breathes new life into it. It sits with re-use at the top of the waste hierarchy, because together they prevent items becoming waste and keep them in their original form to be used again.

SUEZ has been actively involved in repair since 2017 and believes this is a fundamental element of a circular economy and a clear role that household waste recycling centres can play as they evolve to meet the changing demands of their users, national policy, and local environmental, social, and economic needs.

Broken down into actionable sections, some of the top tips in the guide include:

• Make sure you have sufficient space where you can safely test and make basic repairs to items

• Consider partnering with organisations to compliment your repair plans

• If you’re upscaling your re-use activities, think about the location as it is likely to need to take place away from your operational household waste recycling centres

• Identify potential items for repair by getting feedback from your retail channels and site staff to help you to understand the potential demand and value of items

Commenting on the new guide, Sarah Ottaway, Sustainability and Social Value Lead at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK, said:

“We’re delighted to be launching our second guide focussing on the next step in the journey to transform HWRCs into Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (HRRCs). We’ve used our years of experience to create this guide for local authorities to use when planning for the future of their household waste recycling centres, to help them introduce repair into their operations, and realise the huge opportunities there are for their services, local communities and economies by doing so.

“Thanks to increasing awareness of the urgency to take action to combat the effects of climate change, repair is growing in popularity and is a fundamental element of the circular economy model. Combined with rising living costs, the drive to keep existing items in use for longer will increase which is why we’re committed to sharing our knowledge and equipping local authorities with the tools to transform their activities.”