|
To reuse is to use an item again after it has been used. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and creative reuse where it is used for a different function. In contrast, recycling is the breaking down of the used item into raw materials which are used to make new items. By taking useful products and exchanging them, without reprocessing, reuse help save time, money, energy, and resources. In broader economic terms, reuse offers quality products to people and organizations with limited means, while generating jobs and business activity that contribute to the economy. Historically, financial motivation was one of the main drivers of reuse. In the developing world this driver can lead to very high levels of reuse, however rising wages and consequent consumer demand for the convenience of disposable products has made the reuse of low value items such as packaging uneconomic in richer countries, leading to the demise of many reuse programs. Current environmental awareness is gradually changing attitudes and regulations, such as the new packaging regulations, are gradually beginning to reverse the situation. One example of conventional reuse is the doorstep delivery of milk in refillable bottles; other examples include the retreading of tires and the use of returnable/reusable plastic boxes, shipping containers, instead of single-use corrugated fiberboard boxes. == Advantages and disadvantages == Reuse has certain potential advantages: * Energy and raw materials savings as replacing many single use products with one reusable one reduces the number that need to be manufactured. * Reduced disposal needs and costs. * Refurbishment can bring sophisticated, sustainable, well paid jobs to underdeveloped economies. * Cost savings for business and consumers as a reusable product is often cheaper than the many single use products it replaces. * Some older items were better handcrafted and appreciate in value. Disadvantages are also apparent: * Reuse often requires cleaning or transport, which have environmental costs. * Some items, such as freon appliances, infant auto seats, older tube TVs and secondhand automobiles could be hazardous or less energy efficient as they continue to be used. * Reusable products need to be more durable than single-use products, and hence require more material per item. This is particularly significant if only a small proportion of the reusable products are in fact reused. * Sorting and preparing items for reuse takes time, which is inconvenient for consumers and costs money for businesses. * Special skills are required to tweak the functional throughput of items when devoting them to new uses outside of their original purpose. * Knowing the standards that legacy products conform to is required for knowing what adapters to buy for newer products to be compatible with them, even though the cost of adapters for such applications is a minor disadvantage. * Being a rather minor disadvantage, metal that is repurposed later on can sometimes contain rust, seeing as it sometimes ages before reuse. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Reuse」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|