Recovery and reclamation of durable goods: a study of television CRTs

The nature of the waste flows for durable goods are considered from the perspective of management options for inventory control if one wishes to use disposed durable goods as an input in the production of products. Television CRTs are used as an example, since they are a durable good and are the focus of recent regulation in many different countries. Inventory policy is found to be important, since there is great uncertainty in the quantity of product available both from year to year or within an actual year. Uncertainty in volume is not a problem, if only a small percentage of the waste stream is desired. Consequently, a strategy of postponement is recommended. However, if it is anticipated that a high percentage of the waste stream will be utilized, then inventory policy becomes more complex. Due to storage behavior, it is possible that a postponement policy may also be used by controlling disposal rates through encouraging or discouraging disposal at different times based on the need for material inputs.