Material hygiene improving recycling of WEEE demon 2009 Journal of Cleaner

There must be a change in attitude towards end-of-life products. The view that these products pose a liability must be changed. Secondary material is valuable as raw material. Thus, activities encouraging changes in opinion are important. Two major EU directives guide the recycling process; the Directive of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) and the Directive of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Both focus on the input of the recycling system, not on what is coming out of the system. The WEEE Directive governs the handling and processing of these types of products, aiming for stricter handling and reduction of hazardous materials while also encouraging technical development to facilitate increased recycling. This paper introduces the concept of 'material hygiene' aimed at enhancing recycling efficiency across every life cycle phase of a product. A study focused on dishwashers, targeting copper recovery, reveals that limited design efforts can improve material outcomes if the recycling process is optimized. Theoretical disassembly structures provide a framework for analyzing and drawing general conclusions from the case study. The findings emphasize the dual challenge of improving product recycling suitability and the effectiveness of end-of-life product processing.