By Diane MacEachern

Posted: 02.01.10 | Tagged: electronics, recycle, reuse

I keep seeing the word "refurbished" and I don't understand what it means. How does it affect the manufacturing process, why should consumers buy into it, and where do we find it?

"Refurbished" is part of that eco-friendly "re" family — as in reuse, reduce, recycle. It usually starts with repair. Goods are repaired so that they work as well as they did when they were brand new. The process extends the life of products and keeps them out of the trash bin for as long as possible. It also saves energy and reduces pollution because repairing goods is far more efficient than making something new from scratch. Here's an added benefit: refurbished goods usually cost less than those that are brand new.

Adding additional life to computers by refurbishing them saves 5 to 20 times more energy than recycling them.

Consider cell phones. According to Newsweek magazine, the average life of a cell phone before it is replaced is approximately 18 months. There are more than 500 million cell phones in the world right now (often made with copper, silver and gold) that will eventually be thrown away. If these phones were refurbished, it would save the world more than $40 million in copper, $61 million in silver, and $392 million in gold.

Refurbished computers offer equally impressive benefits, which is why TechSoup has launched its Refurbished Computer Initiative. "Producing the average 53-pound desktop computer and CRT monitor requires 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 50 pounds of chemicals, and 3,330 pounds of water," says TechSoup. And that's just for one computer. There are literally millions of computers being manufactured every day, and millions more being thrown away. "Adding additional life to computers by refurbishing them saves 5 to 20 times more energy than recycling them over the computer's life cycle."

In addition to cell phones and computers, many consumer goods are available refurbished, including LCD TVs, office equipment like copiers and fax machines, and office furniture. I recently refurbished my 20-year-old sofa and love seat by replacing the foam in the cushions and then reupholstering both the cushions and the frame with durable cotton fabric. It will now probably give me another 20 years' use.

One note of caution: when buying refurbished electronics, be sure to ask for a warranty or performance guarantee, just as you would for a product off the shelf. Get a list of parts that were repaired or replaced, and review test results to verify quality assurance. Buy from reputable refurbishers, and be clear on the return policy should the product fail to perform as promised.

Have your brought any great items back to life? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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