Art 30t
2 June 2016

Cleaning up the throwaway culture

By Justin Binks, Director of SEBO UK

Pictured is Justin Binks, Director of SEBO UK.

‘You get what you pay for' is an often-heard phrase and is certainly one that applies to vacuum cleaners. This does not mean that good quality machines are necessarily expensive, or that expensive machines are always high quality. It is just that, by paying a bit more and buying from a manufacturer with an established reputation for quality, the product will be built to last and provide years of trouble-free use. Why buy three vacuum cleaners when one could last 20 years or more?

Beside performance, there are a number of other benefits to purchasing a good quality machine from a well-established manufacturer, including long term support, easily available consumables and, importantly, spare parts should something go wrong. The best companies realise that good customer service and sound guidance on maintaining and using their products helps build their reputation and success in the marketplace.

Just as with other products, a rise in cheap imports from Asia and elsewhere has occurred with vacuum cleaners. These machines often fail to clean as well as consumers expect, lack quality and after-sales support, and do not last.

The failure of these products and the inability to repair them means that a throwaway culture is developing. This is resulting in vacuum cleaners contributing increasingly to the estimated two million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) now discarded by householders and companies in the UK every year.

WEEE is one of the fastest growing waste streams. Thinking about how electrical items can be repaired and eventually recycled is an important part of saving natural resources and the environment. Vacuum cleaners incorporate a variety of materials, including metals, rubber and various types of plastic. Some may contain hazardous material that can have a negative impact on health and the environment so must be disposed of under strict guidelines.

The way vacuum cleaners are recycled can vary enormously according to the technology that is used. At some treatment facilities, large-scale shredding technologies are employed whilst others disassemble the machines or use a combination of both processes. One common method is to smash vacuum cleaners and other WEEE into small fragments. Magnets and air are then used to segregate metals and any lightweight debris. Manual picking is also used to separate out different elements. Items ranging from plastics, metals and cables to electric motors, printed circuit boards and batteries are then sent to accredited reprocessors in the UK or overseas.

For those who care about the environment, disposal should always be a last resort. While recycling is the most environmentally responsible way of dealing with machines at the end of life, thought must be given to the entire lifecycle of the product and its embodied carbon. Reducing the carbon footprint of a machine starts in the initial design process and extends to using locally sourced materials in manufacturing and minimising energy consumed in production and distribution.

The least environmentally-conscious vacuum cleaner is the one that performs badly, fails and cannot be easily repaired. These machines perpetuate an unsustainable throwaway culture that disappoints the consumer, reflects badly on the industry and damages the planet.

For more information on the SEBO range, please call 01494 465533 or visitwww.sebo.co.uk.

-ends-

With compliments 
Alison Relf  
Taylor Alden Ltd  
Unit 2 Temple Place  
247 The Broadway  
London  
SW19 1SD 
Tel: 020 8543 3866  
Email: alison@tayloralden.co.uk